I’m a mama to a boy. Since I grew up penis-less I never thought about the changes male bodies go through, as boys become teenagers and eventually, men. When I was a preteen, I had enough worries figuring out tampons and training bras. I had no interest in what was happening to boys physically. I only cared about who was cute that week and if I had a date for the teacher-chaperoned dance, not what stage of puberty the shy boy in my science class was at.

With a new niece on the way, I can’t help but become growingly concerned about raising awareness about child abuse, more specifically, sexual assault. This was always a worry on my mind with my nephew as well, as boys are becoming victims of child sexual abuse just as often as girls are, and it is up to the adults of this world to prepare the children of society of the potential dangers…