Teaching consent means we must also practice it.Too often, when children express discomfort during sex education lessons, adults respond with urge
Teaching consent means we must also practice it.
Too often, when children express discomfort during sex education lessons, adults respond with urgency—but not the kind rooted in care. Instead, there’s a rush to explain it away, minimize it, or worse—ignore it entirely.
But here’s the truth:
Discomfort is data.
It’s not always a signal to push through. Sometimes, it’s a signal to pause.
To listen deeper.
To course-correct.
Too often, when children express discomfort during sex education lessons, adults respond with urgency—but not the kind rooted in care. Instead, there’s a rush to explain it away, minimize it, or worse—ignore it entirely.
But here’s the truth:
Discomfort is data.
It’s not always a signal to push through. Sometimes, it’s a signal to pause.
To listen deeper.
To course-correct.
🧠 Why Children’s Discomfort Matters
When a child says they’re uncomfortable with what’s being taught—whether through words, body language, or withdrawal—they are communicating something important.
They may be:
Survivors of past harm whose instincts are flaring up
Children raised in faith-based or cultural communities where open discussions about sex feel unsafe
Neurodivergent or highly sensitive children who need more boundaries and preparation
Or simply kids with questions that don’t yet have language
All of these deserve respect—not override.
❌ Listening Isn’t a Form of Compliance
Some systems treat children’s discomfort like a hurdle:
“Yes, yes… we’ll let them talk… but we’re moving forward no matter what.”
But that’s not consent.
That’s not trauma-informed.
And it’s certainly not protective.
Our job isn’t to ask, “How can we continue anyway?”
Our job is to ask, “What is this child trying to tell us about their experience of this space?”
🛑 What Happens When We Ignore the Signals?
When children feel coerced—subtly or overtly—they begin to internalize the idea that their boundaries are negotiable, especially when adults think something is “good for them.”
That’s not consent.
That’s grooming.
We must teach sex education in a way that is:
Boundaried, not boundary-breaking
Responsive, not re-traumatizing
Empowering, not pressuring
🪶 A New Way Forward
At We Survive Abuse, we believe:
Teaching children about consent must include modeling consent.
We must protect their right to ask questions—and also to say “this feels wrong.”
We must make room for children who communicate discomfort through silence, tears, resistance, or withdrawal.
We must normalize pausing. Reassessing. Revising.
Because any model of sex education that teaches consent while violating children’s emotional signals is not teaching consent at all.
🧱 Boundaried Spaces Begin with Listening
We’re not here to push children through lessons they’re not ready for.
We’re here to build sanctuary spaces, healing grounds, and protected rooms where truth, safety, and voice live at the center.
When a child tells you, “This doesn’t feel right,”
your next move isn’t to argue.
It’s to listen.
Because that moment is the curriculum.
🧠 Why Children’s Discomfort Matters
When a child says they’re uncomfortable with what’s being taught—whether through words, body language, or withdrawal—they are communicating something important.
They may be:
Survivors of past harm whose instincts are flaring up
Children raised in faith-based or cultural communities where open discussions about sex feel unsafe
Neurodivergent or highly sensitive children who need more boundaries and preparation
Or simply kids with questions that don’t yet have language
All of these deserve respect—not override.
❌ Listening Isn’t a Form of Compliance
Some systems treat children’s discomfort like a hurdle:
“Yes, yes… we’ll let them talk… but we’re moving forward no matter what.”
But that’s not consent.
That’s not trauma-informed.
And it’s certainly not protective.
Our job isn’t to ask, “How can we continue anyway?”
Our job is to ask, “What is this child trying to tell us about their experience of this space?”
🛑 What Happens When We Ignore the Signals?
When children feel coerced—subtly or overtly—they begin to internalize the idea that their boundaries are negotiable, especially when adults think something is “good for them.”
That’s not consent.
That’s grooming.
We must teach sex education in a way that is:
Boundaried, not boundary-breaking
Responsive, not re-traumatizing
Empowering, not pressuring
🪶 A New Way Forward
At We Survive Abuse, we believe:
Teaching children about consent must include modeling consent.
We must protect their right to ask questions—and also to say “this feels wrong.”
We must make room for children who communicate discomfort through silence, tears, resistance, or withdrawal.
We must normalize pausing. Reassessing. Revising.
Because any model of sex education that teaches consent while violating children’s emotional signals is not teaching consent at all.
🧱 Boundaried Spaces Begin with Listening
We’re not here to push children through lessons they’re not ready for.
We’re here to build sanctuary spaces, healing grounds, and protected rooms where truth, safety, and voice live at the center.
When a child tells you, “This doesn’t feel right,”
your next move isn’t to argue.
It’s to listen.
Because that moment is the curriculum.