BITSS of Protective Behaviours
BITSS is an acronym for:
Body Ownership
Intuition
Touch
Say No
Support Network
BITSS began in 1998. My youngest child was at day care. I arrived to pick him up one afternoon and walked into a fight between several little boys.
“It’s a cock,” said one.
“It’s a willy,” said another.
“It’s a trouser snake,” laughed another little boy as he slapped his partners in crime on the back.
“It’s a penis,” said my three year old as he stomped his frustrated little foot. “It’s a penis, it’s a penis, it’s a penis!”
Oh, oh. The director invited us to her room. We were in trouble because my child said, “penis”.
As I listened to the directors explanation for our potential suspension (you can’t say penis or vagina, it’s rude), it dawned on me that my expectations of early educators and protective behaviour knowledge was too high. If we were relying on early educators to impart correct protective behaviour skills to our children, then we were in trouble. Just like other people, some early educators are terrified about protective behaviour talking. Also, if early educators are a representative group of the community, then one in three early educators would also have their own sexual assault issues. Undealt with personal issues makes it difficult to deal with similar social issues. It’s too hard so people stay away from it or use old myths taught to them as children (never mention those parts of the body; stranger danger, etc)
After facing suspension from day care for using inappropriate language, MY child (yes, sir, my child, not the other children who actually were using inappropriate words for the male private part) and I went home: he unhappy and angry because I got him into trouble (I told him his penis was a penis), me motivated to produce an easy model of protective behaviours that did not rely on early childhood educators training our children (No Go Tell, Stranger Danger, etc): A model that parents could use in their own homes to teach their own children. It had to be easy and it had to be fun.
BITSS was born after much research, consultation with parents and professionals and grouping of the five major protective concepts together: body ownership, intuition, touch, say no and support network – these are the BITSS that will help to keep your child safe from sexual assault.
The BITSS model uses protective play and teachable moments: activities and games that can be gently woven into everyday life. Research suggests that protective behaviours taught in school once every six months are insufficient to help children remember what to do in potentially dangerous personal situations. Reminders in the home, in the child’s every day life are the best way to keep your children safe.
If you’re wondering how to make sure your kids remember important safety rules about safety, use the BITSS model of protective play. Here’s a FREE copy of Parent Sense, a tutorial that sets out games and activities to play for each of the 5 important protective behaviour BITSS.
Imaginif…BITSS of play kept our children safe.
Understanding Protective Behaviours in keeping Children Safe.
Five simple BITSS to help keep kids safe
When Should I Start Teaching my Child about Protective Behaviours
What are Protective Behaviours
