Despite our best intentions, parents mess up. But when teaching your kids about consent, it's important to be aware of the ways in which we unintentionally undermine the consent lessons. "It is easy for parents to fall into the trap of assuming that certain behaviours are fine with their child. Parents need to remember to ask, too," Gallagher said. "The reality is that answering for a child or making decisions on their behalf is easier than letting a child answer simple questions and make simple decisions for themselves. However, by failing to allow children the time they need to think about what they feel and then respond with consent or not, parents can undermine all the consent conversations they had and consent modelling they have done with their child."
Sarah Casper, a consent educator and founder of Comprehensive Consent, said that parents often preach consent but don't practice it. "When parents say 'your body belongs to you,' but then hold their child down to brush their teeth, or say 'hands on your own body,' but then tickle their child without permission, they are undermining everything they are trying to teach," Casper told POPSUGAR. "In moments where safety isn't an immediate concern, parents can give reminders (e.g., 'in five minutes, it will be time to brush teeth'), two options (e.g.,'Your teeth need to be brushed. Would you like to brush them or would you like me to brush them for you?'), or increase the fun factor, (e.g., 'I'm going to brush my teeth too, who do you think can get their mouth foamier?'). With these modifications, parents prove to their child that their body does belong to them, even when someone with authority is present and has their own goals (like getting their child to bed or, in the future, having a sexual interaction)."