April 2025 • toughtopicsmom.com

Hello friends!

I'm Back — And There's Something Every Parent Needs to Know Right Now

I've been away writing books, teaching kindergarten, and building something brand new for families. But I kept seeing the same gap — and can't stay quiet about it anymore.

Hi, friend. It's Kimberly. Tough Topics Mom. And honestly? I've missed you.

If you're new here, welcome. I'm a mom, a former kindergarten teacher, a certified sexual abuse prevention educator, and the author of I Said No! A Kid-to-Kid Guide to Keeping Private Parts Private (which I co-wrote with my son Zack when he was just a little guy). My mission has always been the same: help parents have the conversations that feel impossible — the ones that actually protect their kids.

For the past couple of years, I've been deep in the work. I've been writing books, teaching, creating new courses, and doing everything I can to keep this message moving forward. My original website crashed — which was a gut punch, honestly — and I've been rebuilding. So if you've been looking for me, I'm here.

I'm at toughtopicsmom.com, and I'm not going anywhere.

The KimberlyKingBooks site is down, and I have www.kimberlykingauthor.com up! and this lovely www.toughtopicsmom.com website, where I house my classes.

Today I want to share something that I think every parent, teacher, and caregiver needs to read. Share this with a friend. Bring it to your school. Pass it along at church. Because the statistic I'm about to share changes everything.

The stats on Child to Child Sexual Abuse are rising. This type of abuse by peers is estimated to account for almost 70% of CSA, based on recent studies and research by Dr. David Finkelhor and others.

Read that again. 

— not a stranger, not a monster in a trench coat. A

sibling. A cousin. A classmate. A neighborhood kid.

I know that's uncomfortable. It's supposed to be. Because this is the blind spot that is leaving our kids unprotected.

Why Are Parents Missing This?

Common blind spots I see in families every day:

• We're watching for strangers. We teach "stranger danger," but most abuse happens with someone the child already knows and trusts.
• We assume sibling roughhousing is normal. Sometimes it is. But parents often don't know the warning signs that something has crossed a line.
• We don't teach body safety early enough. Most parents wait until kids are older — but body autonomy education needs to start around age 3.
• We don't have the language. Parents want to have these conversations — they just don't know what words to use, or how to bring it up without traumatizing their child.

Here's what I want you to hold onto: this is not your fault for not knowing. The problem is that no one is talking about it loudly enough. That's what I'm here for.

5 Prevention Strategies You Can Start Today

Tip 1 - Use the correct anatomical names

Teaching children the proper names for their body parts reduces shame, increases their ability to report, and signals to a potential abuser that this child has an informed adult in their life.

Tip 2 — Practice the "no secret" rule

There's a difference between a surprise (a birthday party!) and a secret. Teach kids that their body is never a secret. Safe adults don't ask children to keep body secrets.

Tip 3 - Name their "safe adults."

Ask your child: "If something happened and you couldn't tell me, who are 5 safe adults you could tell?" Practice this like a fire drill. Kids freeze when they're scared — preparation saves them.

Tip 4 — Monitor unsupervised sibling time

Especially with large age gaps. Kids aren't little adults — they're still developing impulse control and sexual understanding. Supervision is not suspicion. Based on the research, the biggest risk for this type of abuse is for kids between the ages of 11 and 17. It's good parenting.

Tip 5 - Respond with calm, not alarm

If your child discloses something, your reaction is everything. Take a breath.

Say: "Thank you for telling me. I believe you. This is not your fault." Then get support. Your calm is their safe landing.

REMEMBER:

An empowered parent is not a fearful parent. You don't need to live in anxiety about this

— you need to live in preparation. And the beautiful truth is: when

parents are educated and actively engaged in body safety, risk goes down significantly.

You have more power than you know. And I want to give you the tools to use it.

The Course We Have Been Building for You!

I am so excited to share this with you. I have spent months co-creating a brand-new course called Raising Safe Siblings: Preventing Sibling Abuse with my body-safety bestie and colleague,  Diane Tarantini, a fellow CSA survivor and child safety expert.

This course is designed for parents, caregivers, teachers, and anyone who works with children. It gives you the exact language, the research, the warning signs, and the prevention strategies to reduce the risk of sibling sexual abuse in your home. We focus on a particular part of CSA called SSTA, Sibling Sexual Abuse and Trauma. We talk about what it is, how to prevent it, how to see the signs, and what to do if this has already happened in your home. Its a complicated issue that most parents really don't think about. And it is one of the most common forms of CSA. So, come join us for Module 1! It's FREE.

As we celebrate this passion project, we are offering a 50% of coupon code during April. April is sexual abuse prevention month. Use the code "SAAM" to grab your discount.