When we were young, we might have believed that being a firefighter, a doctor, or a policeman were the toughest jobs and most difficult ambitions. As age catches up to us, only then do we realise that being a parent is just as, if not more, terrifying. Unlike driving a car, there’s no manual to parenthood.
As our child grows older, the responsibility that we bear as parents become increasingly immense. How do we protect them from everything nasty, while making sure we don't hover and still allow them independence and freedom to explore?
When it comes to safety, consent and boundaries, some of us did not have these conversations with our parents, and had to learn along the way through life experiences. Unfortunately, those experiences are usually traumatising. Which is why makchic is stressing on the importance of education on the subject topic.
Understanding that these topics are difficult to discuss and must be handled delicately, Malaysian based online parenting site, makchic has published their first-ever picture book titled “What If?”. Targeted for parents and children aged 3 to 8 years old, “What If? aims to educate and be transparent on the taboo concept of personal safety, consent and body boundaries through a series of engaging rhymes and delightfully relatable Malaysian characters." says the makchic team.
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The brains behind this informative book are none other than makchic’s very own managing editor Kimberly Lee and special projects director Liyana Taff. The two had also worked alongside illustrator, Delia Razak as well as Thency Gunasekaran, a gazetted Assistant Child Protector and children’s rights advocate of 15 years.
The makchic team had also gone to great lengths to partner up with SPOT, a local comprehensive sexual education movement that organises workshops in school about puberty and sex. However, the team had also realised that the line of communication regarding these topics starts at home as little to no parents tend to talk about these hard-hitting issues with their children.
Roleplaying scenarios have been a good form of generating conversations about child sexual abuse, body boundaries and what makes a child uncomfortable, hence the title of the book: What If? The book allows children the liberty to explore various categories of consent and safety. Not to mention, the book also comes equipped with a discussion guide, conversation prompts and also activities that parents can work together with their children in order to break the stigma of sex education being a taboo topic.
This effort by the makchic team is truly amazing and we support breaking the silence on sexual education for children. We may not be able to change the whole world, but we can change the world of our children's.
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The book is available at makchic’s Lazada Mall Store for RM39.90, along with Cziplee and Lit Books.
For more information, visit https://www.makchic.com/whatif/
