This simply told, beautifully illustrated story from the authors of Rid of My Disgrace and Is It My Fault? helps two- to eight-year-olds understand why their bodies matter and distinguish between appropriate and inappropriate touch. God Made All of Me gently opens a conversation that every family needs to have.
I've been wondering how to discuss with my children (aged 5, 4 and 2) boundaries in terms of physical touch, and this book has been an enormous help.
It is told through a family having a conversation about how precious our bodies are and that some parts are private and some are not, and some touches are appropriate and some are not, etc. There’s also an important bit about the difference between a surprise (fun) and a secret (not fun).
As I read this book, I found myself feeling quite traumatised at the thought of anyone trying to harm my child. It’s difficult to read as an adult because you have the background knowledge that some people do terrible things to children. But my children don’t really have any such knowledge or awareness, so for them it’s not a scary or upsetting book at all – and they are VERY sensitive children.
The book also uses the foundation that God made our bodies, and that’s why they’re precious. This is always an important truth for our children to return to if they are ever unsure about how valuable they are.
The only downside of this book for me was that in the back it has a double page list of ‘Ways to Protect Your Children from Sexual Abuse,’ which is very helpful but not something I want either of my children to read. Which is why the book now lives on Mum and Dad’s bookshelf, not theirs.