Teaching Children To Know When To Ask For Help

By Pat Baker

Lisa was 4 and her brother Ben was 6. They had a new babysitter. The sitter looked after them for over three months. Their Mother found out that the sitter was smoking around the children so she fired her. Only after the sitter was gone did they speak up and tell their mother wat had been going on.

They needed to know that she was gone before they told their mother that she had been pushing and pulling them around. The babysitter had even pulled Lisa's hair. When their mother asked why they had never told her they said “you never asked.” It was also only after they knew that the babysitter would not be back that they felt safe enough to tell.