Sometimes our kids hear chapter twelve while we’re still thoughtfully teaching chapter four. When peers, the news, or the outside world introduce topics like sexual assault before we think our children are ready, we don’t have to choose between saying nothing and telling them everything. Here’s how to stay honest, developmentally appropriate, and connected to the child in front of you.

When a sexual assault case dominates the headlines, there are people reading who recognize pieces of their own stories. A therapist looks beyond the courtroom at survivors carrying untold experiences, people who have caused harm, bystanders who stayed silent, and the difficult work of truth, accountability and change.