Most of us, especially those of us who are grandparents, have children in our lives that we love and cherish. We want to protect the children in our families from the dangers we know are out there. We want to teach them how to be independent yet stay safe.
That is why I am going to talk about our Safe Heart Series. It is a preventative approach to childhood sexual assault and overall safety education. Safe Hearts stands for Sharing Awareness for Family Empowerment and is our family education-based product line. With 70% of sexual assault occurring before children reach the age of 17, Damsel in Defense felt called to take a preventative approach to childhood sexual assault and overall safety education.
The characters featured in the program, referred to as Heart Defenders, are members of the SAFE HEART CLUB. The stories used in the books help to educate and inspire readers to identify threats through awareness, and to encourage strong and courageous decision-making. The characters range in age from children to teens. They jump into action when they receive alerts from other characters who are in trouble and show ways to protect the children from unsafe situations and assault.
This strategy in the storytelling helps young people in recognizing alerts on a larger scale, to help teach children awareness of situations that may look safe and OK on the surface but feel different internally. They learn to identify circumstances that could pose a risk to their hearts and well-being. Kids are empowered to rely on and listen to those alerts within themselves. The goal of the program is that every reader learns the importance of a proper response to uncomfortable situations in order to be able to protect their heart.
Heart Defenders series of books addresses situations for today’s child
Heart Defenders storybooks cover a wide variety of topics that would be familiar to most children today. There are 10 storybooks with different “kid-versations” that will give parents and grandparents the tools to protect the children they care about such as:
- In the storybook called Shielded Eyes Shielded Heart, Caleb’s Mom leaves him home alone and the Heart Defenders take action when a peer sends him inappropriate content online.
- A Secret Gift for Grace is about Grace’s yearning for a puppy. She finds herself caught in a bind when her neighbor bribes her into keeping a secret for him in return for the puppy.
- Healed Hearts Heal Hearts tells the story of Simon’s sister struggle to repair the missing piece of her heart The team works together to help her find it and heal her heart back to whole.
- An important example is provided in Chace’s Champion. Willow’s safe adult doesn’t believe the account of abuse she witnessed. Faith encourages her to press on to find the help her cousin needs.
- Not just for girls, the stories include boys as well. In All-Star Dugout Dreams Simon helps James navigate a situation when his baseball coach tried to coerce him into an unplanned ride home.
- In Madison’s Big Brother, young teens confront a situation that occurs to many girls. Elizabeth helps Isabella navigate a tricky situation when a boy tried to kiss her while they are home alone.
General safety and personal security issues are also addressed in storybooks as well:
- Firearm Safety
- The Buddy System
- Tricky Friends
These are just a few of the inexpensive books that can help you in your efforts to educate your little ones on how to be safe. The books provide a platform to think about and discuss so your child – or grandchild – knows what to do in a situation before it happens.
Keep safety top of mind to protect the children you love with other products kids will love
In addition to the storybooks to share with your children, there is also available an important Parent Guide that has 12 essential family safety conversations to help parents bring up difficult subjects.
To address situations in a casual and fun way, consider the Safe Hearts Board Game. Players make their way through the world of the Heart Defenders and learn how to keep themselves and their family safe. With action cards for both kids and parents, the whole family can join in.
Bring the Heart Defenders into your kid’s everyday life and remind them of the lessons they have learned with the Kids Dish Set. It includes a plate, a bowl, a cup and silverware in pink or blue. Or, they can carry reminders of the lessons with a Lunch Pail, Puzzle Pack, Heart Defender Badge or a Book Bag.
In addition, for those kids who have their own special backpacks and totes, consider the Holla His (blue) or Holla Hers (pink). This is a safety keychain that easily attaches to your child’s book bag and features a high-pitched alarm to sound for help and a push-button LED flashlight.
There are other products carried by Damsel in Distress that can help parents and grandparents protect the children in their families. They can set the stage, so kids become aware and learn strategies to protect themselves. Contact me for more information.
-Donna