Prevent Child Abuse Indiana
December 2021 Newsletter
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During the holidays we spend lots of time and money attempting to create magical experiences for our children. We hang decorations, bake cookies, and sing songs. We take great care in the gifts we purchase, looking for ones that marry education and fun, and hoping the thrill will last all year long.
But how well do we monitor our children’s social experiences during the holidays? The adults that surround a child create the protective environments that keep them safe, no matter the time of year. This year, make a point to revisit your family’s child protection plans.
Here are five tips to get you started:
- Be prepared to enforce your child’s boundaries. The holidays can be stressful when interacting with family or friends who don’t know your family’s child safety policies. Aunt June will probably want a hug from little Susie when she sees her but remind her that it’s up to Susie to decide if she’d like to show affection and how. It’s not personal, it’s just how things are. Take this opportunity to remind children that they should never feel pressured to show affection, no matter who the person asking for it might be. This is also a great time to remind children that if they ever feel uncomfortable, they should let you know so you can help.
- Don’t let household rules get thrown out in the midst of holiday madness. Day-to-day schedules can be very different during the holidays. Kids are out of school for long stretches, family members are visiting, and throughout it all you need to decide which rules remain in place and which rules can be flexible. Have a no closed doors policy? Don’t let an influx of guests change the rules in your home. Kindly educate them on the expectations and move on. Strive to create normalcy in the midst of chaos and don’t let your protective guidelines fall by the wayside.
- Remember that it’s okay to say no. Protect your sanity by giving yourself permission to say no. You can’t do everything (no one can), so decide what is most important to you and make those things a priority. Let the rest go. Do you attend the same gatherings or do you create new traditions? Do you opt out to do your own thing if it’s in the best interest of your child/family? For those with toxic family environments, saying no can be a vital part of keeping stress low during the holiday season.
- Be prepared to speak up. You may find yourself in a situation where you can intervene on behalf of a child (yours or someone else’s) who might find themselves in circumstances where they appear to be uncomfortable or uncertain of expectations. Uncle John may think it’s fun to tickle, but if Susie clearly doesn’t like it, you can and should say something. Be brave and know that even if you risk hurting feelings, it’s more important to put the child and their protection first.
- Know where your kids are and whom they’re with (including whom they're with online), even in a family environment. The adults might be in the kitchen or grouped around the dining room table while the kids are off playing. Don’t assume that they’re in a safe space. Require them to play in open areas where play can be observed. Your children may be playing with others they see only a few times a year, so guidance may be required. Provide careful supervision to ensure a safe, positive holiday experience for all.
You may find yourself in a place to make radically different choices about your family’s holiday experience in spite of family pressures and expectations. Be brave. Be merry.
From December 13, 2017; Darkness to Light
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PCAIN Council News: Join Your Local Council |
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At The heart of child abuse prevention work in Indiana are the local child abuse prevention councils. Similar to the way the holiday season manifests itself differently based on what is important to each family, the local councils reflect the unique values and priorities of the communities in which they are embedded. Currently in Indiana, there a total of 46 chartered child abuse prevention councils representing 56 counties (some councils represent multiple counties). The goal is for every county in Indiana to have a local child abuse prevention council or be represented by one.
The analogy of the Christmas holiday and Santa Claus can help to illustrate my point. Children around the globe are encouraged to be “good” during the year in order to be placed on Santa’s “nice list” and receive personal delivery of presents from Santa Claus on Christmas morning. The implication is that not doing
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the work to be good throughout the year can result in unpleasant things (i.e., coal in one’s stocking). The work of child abuse prevention is much the same, although the consequences are far more dire. If the proactive work of child abuse prevention is not occurring year-round across every county in Indiana, more Hoosier children will become victims of child maltreatment. Please join PCAIN to help put every county in Indiana on Santa’s “nice list” and help deliver the gift of safe and healthy children across our great state. The link here can be used to go to the PCAIN webpage, where you can scroll down to a map of Indiana. If the county in which you reside has a chartered child abuse prevention council, it will be represented by the image of a pinwheel for your county. If there is no pinwheel on the map in your county, please contact Jeff Wittman to see how you can be a part of this life saving work by helping to start a local child abuse prevention council in your county.
Jeff Wittman, MBA, PCAIN Prevention Program Manager
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PCAIN Prevention: 2021 Holiday Joys & Blues |
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Holiday joy will soon be in the air! Holiday tunes on the radio, lights and decorations being hung! And with the shorter days, and winter soon to follow, many of us may feel the holiday blues as well.
Some basic tips as the first line of defense, might be: calling a friend or family member, taking a walk with the dog, or petting the cat. Exercise, conversation and getting some sunlight can all help. Journaling, or long bubble baths… doing anything simple and special for yourself, or others has all been shown to help.
If the blues hang on, or are especially difficult, you can reach out to others, such as friends or family, your faith community, or a therapist…211 Connect to Help phone line can put you in touch with over 6000 resources here in Indiana. (But it also works around the entire USA!)
Please take care and we at Prevent Child Abuse Indiana hope these are some of the most joyous holidays for you!
Carol Pool, MSW, PCAIN Prevention Education Specialist
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Upcoming PCAIN Community Trainings |
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Dec 16th from 6:00pm-7:00pm - "Parent's Cafe: Family Hope Program-How It Helps & Supports Families" Family Hope is a ministry of the local church that provides supportive relationships for isolated families. Through Family Hope, volunteers walk alongside at-risk families and prevent them from entering further into the child-welfare system, if at all possible. They do this by wrapping around each struggling family by offering temporary hosting of children, resource connections and guidance for parents, and a bridge to family stability. Family Hope’s mission is to bring hope to families through caring, connective relationships formed in the redemptive love of Jesus. Link to Register for the December Parent’s Cafe
Visit our WEBSITE or Facebook page often for additional training opportunities
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PCAIN Educational Brochures |
Designed with caregivers in mind, this piece provides practical tips about managing stress. Coping with stress (internal and external) can be a key element in effective parenting. While informative, the brochure is written in easy-to-understand language for a wider audience in English and Spanish.
Brochures are $1.00 for package of 50 brochures. This is just one of many educational resources available from PCAIN. Click here to order or to discover the many other resources available. PCAIN website now offers “Print Your Own” on the Educational Materials link.
We also offer PCAIN Merchandise on our website SHOP
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Kids First Support of
Prevent Child Abuse Indiana
We thank Kids First for continuing to support our charge in ensuring that our mission to "make Indiana a better, safer place for Indiana's most precious resources - our children" is achieved.
Help support statewide efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect by the continued use of the Kids First license plate, or when your plates are due again by purchasing the Kids First license plate. For more information, please visit their website. Funding from the Kids First plates helps us work with our Prevention Councils throughout Indiana.
If you would like to make a donation to Prevent Child Abuse Indiana directly, Click Here
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