Tips for Parents: Kids should be seen, heard

We all know the old saying, "children should be seen, but not heard."

Cristin DeRonja, director of the SafeChild Advocacy Center in Raleigh, believes in the exact opposite. SAFEchild works to prevent child abuse and help child abuse victims.

"We should see them, we should listen to them, we should let them have a voice," she tells me.

It's important for children to have personal power, she said.

"We are talking about encouraging our children to respect themselves, to believe in themselves that they have a voice, that they do have something to say," she said.

Why is that important? So they have the strength and conviction to say no to a playground bully or no to a potential adult abuser.

"We need them to know that they do have influence in their life," said DeRonja, a mom of four.

For more about giving kids personal power, watch my video interview with DeRonja.

Thank you so much Cristin for all of the great information!