The Intentional Parent - Empowering our Children against Sexual Abuse (Pattie Fitzgerald)

EPISODE SYNOPSIS
Today's show is about common sense strategies and guidance to protect children from sexual predators. Despite being a tough subject to talk about, its an incredibly important one. For this reason Greg and Tina are joined by Pattie Fitzgerald, founder of Safely Ever After, to dispel some of the myths and clarify the truths surrounding childhood sexual abuse. Besides sharing the essential information all parents need to know, Pattie makes the important point that this isn't a subject that has to be uncomfortable and avoided. The first step in preventing abuse is talking about it. This is an episode every parent should see.

GUEST BIO
Pattie Fitzgerald has been successfully teaching Child Predator Safety Awareness since 2001. She is the founder and creator of Safely Ever After, Inc. and provides effective, non-fearful safety workshops, seminars, and keynote speeches at schools, community organizations, churches, and corporations throughout the United States. She has trained many crime prevention educators and children's advocacy groups with her specialized programs, curriculum, and educational materials.
Pattie is a published author and has been selected by the Los Angeles Sheriff's M.E.R.I.T. Program as an instructor to incarcerated inmates at the North County Correctional Facility in Castaic, California. Pattie has also recently been named as the Safety and Prevention Advisor for the newly formed child advocacy group, PeasInTheirPods.com. Prior to the inception of Safely Ever After, Inc., Pattie previously worked as the Community Outreach Educator for the national child advocacy group, Parents For Megan's Law.
She has been featured on Good Morning America, CNN Headline News and MSNBC, as well as KCBS-2, KNBC-4 and KABC-7. Her written works have been published in numerous parenting magazines, trade journals, and newspapers throughout the United States.

ADDITIONAL LINKS, ETC.
http://www.youtube.com/user/safelyeverafter#p/a/u/0/6RaHgK11srk
http://tiny.cc/34do2
http://safelyeverafter.com/index.html
http://PeasInTheirPods.com/
https://www.meganslaw.com/

EPISODE BREAKDOWN
00:00 Intro
02:38 Tell us about what you do and about Safely Ever After.
03:30 This is a hard topic to talk about with our kids.
04:10 Contradictory lessons we teach our kids.
04:45 Statistics.
06:40 Hoping this doesn't happen isn't enough. What can we do to prevent abuse?
09:35 Developing enough trust with your child for them to be comfortable to come to you or someone with whatever they are dealing with.
13:26 What age are children the most vulnerable?
15:55 How should kids behave towards potential perpetrators?
18:10 Four preconditions that have to be met before a child can be sexually abused.
21:35 How often and at what age should you talk to your child about this?
24:05 Secrets vs. surprises and 'what if' games.
28:00 What about giving kids phrases or a code they can use if they don't feel comfortable.
30:16 What are the effects and how do we address this with older kids who have teachers, coaches, etc. to deal with?
33:30 If your child is victimized they can still recover with help. How abuse can manifest.
37:50 Physical trauma and signs of abuse.
38:25 Abuser demographics. Who, how and when do abusers become active?
42:40 Megan's Law.
46:15 What is the difference between a sex offender and a pedophile?
47:10 Can you talk about the motivations for sex offenders?
50:50What should we do if something does happen?
52:40 Sandusky.
55:45 'This is My Body,' Pattie's Book.
57:05 Pattie's Website and other resources.
57:40 Is there anything else we should address?
59:00 WRAP UP.