I got married to my college sweetheart at 25 and left for Sigonella, Sicily, for an epic adventure as a new teacher, newlywed, and navy wife. I started teaching kindergarten at the Department of Defense school right away. I met wonderful women in Sicily and enjoyed the culture, language, challenges, and
friendship daily. Soon, I found out I was pregnant during my second year of teaching.
I retired early from teaching to be a full-time mom. I didn’t want to work and send my first baby off to a babysitter or daycare. Because we were in the military, we lived far away from family, and I didn’t trust anybody enough to care for my baby.
I became a full-time mom! I joined mom church groups and started to participate in Mothers of Preschool
Children (M.O.P. S.). I spent my days keeping busy with playdates and trips to the park with other moms.
I had a lot of time alone in the house with my new baby.
It was during those long days home with a newborn that I decided I needed a hobby! Something unique just for me. Because, as you know- as moms, we can get lost in motherhood. We can lose our identity as a separate person. We assume the “mom” identity and give endlessly and selflessly to our families. I loved teaching my little kindergarten kids how to write and publish their own stories, but I didn’t know where to start. I called my mom, who was an excellent writer of poetry and stores. She suggested journaling and writing short stories was a good place to start. She told me to “write about what you love.” I did a daily journal and eventually started writing children’s stories.
But, for some reason, my stories about dogs barking or lost lizards didn’t provide enough satisfaction or meaning to me. These first stories were cute stories and all, but, they were not significant to the world. Teaching young children was my passion. I wanted my stories to help other children and maybe even help them prevent or avoid problems. I started with a bike safety book and a stranger danger book. I remained at home, full-time mom for years. I loved spending time with my children. Well, most of the time. Nothing is ever easy or perfect with motherhood.
On that topic, my third child came in June of 2004. I had a health complication with my newborn and had to spend a night in the hospital with him. I left my kids under the care of a good friend and neighbor. My older children, ages 6 and 4, spent the night right next door. I had a weird feeling that night. I was worried about my kids and their first “ sleepover”. This was before cell phones and 24/7 access to kids, family, and friends.
In the morning, I came home from the hospital and picked up my kids. My son, “Zack” came outside to hug me. It was something was wrong. We got in the car and he told me his friend kept trying to kiss him and touch him and he told him to stop. He tried to tell the mom, but she didn’t listen. He didn’t call me because I was not home. His dad was deployed. So, my son made a safety plan and told the mom he got sick and he stayed in the bathroom to get away from his friend.
I found the inspiration to write about this topic by helping my son. This was the moment that shifted my life and pushed me towards writing. To help Zack process the night we started talking and writing. We had already covered the topic of private parts needing to be private, but we hadn’t covered some of the things that happened that night. The fact that a friend might try to trick you into this or manipulate you. We didn’t realize that a young child could use manipulation techniques like bribery and threats. So, we wrote about it, wrote about it, and drew pictures.
One day after a few weeks had passed, I sat with my son and we looked at his journal. We both realized that this conversation about what his friend had done was a powerful message that kids and parents needed to hear. I Said No! A kid to kid guide to keeping private parts private was born. In the book, we teach kids about body boundaries and rules, consent, feelings, what-if scenarios, and what to think, say and do. We decided to use red and green flags to help kids identify their feelings and know what to do.
I went back to teaching temporarily in 2015 for a year at Chesterfield Academy in Norfolk, Virginia. My kids had all grown and were busy at school and college. I figured it would be a good move for me, that I could do both jobs. While I truly enjoyed my time at this school serving as a reading intervention specialist, I decided to continue to work from home and focus solely on my writing and business. I am back in the home office and struggle with finding balance. It is so easy to put down a writing assignment or put off daily book marketing tasks when dinner needs cooking and kids need rides to lacrosse. The daily grind of mom duties is relentless. I try to divide my day into three sections. Book business, mom duties, and me time. The me time usually suffers! I manage to get to yoga about three times a week and that helps me manage all the stress working from home can bring. I am happy that I am able to work from home and share my books with other families.
Every mom has a unique story, struggles, and accomplishment to share with the world. I encourage every mom out there to share their stories. Moms are truly unique because we learn from each other’s joint experiences in kindness, empathy, and support. I am honored to share my story with you. In honor of sexual abuse prevention month, I encourage you to share my story and encourage all of your friends to take steps to learn about sexual abuse prevention.
Sexual abuse is preventable and it starts with you!
Kimberly King is an award-winning author, teacher, and authority on the subject of sexual abuse prevention. She believes it is imperative we start talking about sexual education, sexual abuse prevention, and consent more seriously. It is the most important tool for prevention we have. Helping kids set healthy boundaries for their private parts can be a daunting and awkward task for parents, counselors, and educators. Kimberly helps parents and kids learn how to proactively communicate on difficult topics with her unique kid-to-kid guides.
Kimberly holds a Bachelor of Science degree in early childhood development and family studies from the University of Maine and a Master of Science degree in early childhood education from Wheelock College. She is a certified Early Childhood Education Teacher and certified Sexual Abuse Prevention Facilitator.
Kimberly is a dedicated mom to three children ages 22, 20, and 15, and they give her daily inspiration to write, be a better mom, and help others.
She spends her time training adults and children on prevention strategies and sharing her expertise as a consultant, advisor, and media source. Her work has been featured in various magazines and blogs including; The Chicago Tribune, Social Work Now, US News and World Report, The Health Journal, Modern Mom, PopSugar and is highly recommended as a resource by national prevention organizations.
Sign up for her free Sexual Abuse Prevention Class for Parents:
https://www.kimberlykingbooks.com/proactive-parenting-school