Child crime investigator reveals what she would never let her kids do
A woman who investigates child sex crimes has lifted the lid on the five things she would never let her children do.
In a TikTok video, which has since received more than 8.3 million views, Terra Avilla from Ansonia Police Department in Connecticut in the US revealed her top rules.
“Ah the hate I know I’m going to get from this,” the mother of three wrote before listing sleepovers as her biggest no-no.
“You don’t know who’s there, you don’t know who else is sleeping the night,” she told the camera. “Brothers, cousins, uncles, sisters. You just don’t know. Sorry.”
Ms Avilla's second rule is she doesn't let her kids use Snapchat, a social media app that sees photos deleted after they’ve been opened.
“I have a lot of cases that come from predators utilising this app and kids think that things disappear,” she said, “and they don’t and nothing good comes from this app.”
When it came to her third rule, the officer said she would never force her children to hug or kiss people that they don’t want to, even family members.
“I know that that sounds really mean but it’s their body and if they don’t want to give my mum, their nanny, a hug goodbye then they have the right to do that and to set boundaries,” she explained.
In a follow-up to her first video, Ms Avilla went on to publish a second clip with a further two points. The first was about having secrets.
“There is a big difference between having a secret and keeping a surprise,” she said. “And if you are an adult, don’t tell other people’s kids that you want them to keep a secret. It’s creepy.“
Her last rule was about teaching children the correct names for their private parts. “If you give your four-year-old a silly name for their private parts, it’s ok, we can overcome that in an interview but it’s a lot harder,” she said. “Just teach them from the get go what it’s called.”
Hundreds of TikToker users were quick to praise the mother for her useful tips.
“Parents need to hear this,” one person wrote. “Sometimes you have to choose your child's safety over your child’s happiness,” another said. “Thank you for protecting them.”
“Every parent should so watch this series,” said another, while several “survivors” came forward to thank the officer for revealing this information.
Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.
