When should a kid learn about consent?
Teaching kids how to give, receive and understand consent is crucial. It’s about way more than just “no means no,” and the conversation should start far sooner than you might expect. Photo: Tony Lanz, Illustration: Stephanie Han Kim
In the video, Zuri is lying on her stomach on a bed. The young girl grins, looking directly at the camera as she draws herself up to complete a sentence: “No means…no!” she proclaims. There’s no grey area here. When Zuri says no, you’d better listen.
For most parents, that combination of easy confidence and clear boundaries is what we dream of for our daughters and sons. Certainly, Zuri’s mother, Staceyann Chin, an activist and writer in Brooklyn, NY, seems to swell with quiet pride as she gazes at her girl. The two are curled up side by side in a recent episode of