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June 9-11: West Virginia Writers annual conference, Ripley, WV.

By admin / May 19, 2023

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Diane will be teaching three writing workshops:

How to Sell a Book: What Works and What Doesn’t
Social Media Management 101: How to Get Started…or Go Further
So you want to be a writer…10+ things to consider when setting out on the writing journey

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Am I Being Groomed for (Sexual) Abuse: 5+ signs to look out for
Consent 101: The foundation of child safety
Summertime Child Safety Tip #1: Spot Inspections
Disclosing Child Sexual Abuse: What helps children tell
Help Wanted: What to do if you’re living with a sexual attraction to children

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When I'm not wearing my child safety hat, I'm enjo

When I'm not wearing my child safety hat, I'm enjoying our children who are grown and flown. And serving as the communications director at our family business--@ralphsbeer--a beer distributor that sells Samuel Adams beer.

Which is why I happened to be in Cincinnati last weekend to check out the Sam Adams Oktoberfest event, the second largest in the world, Munich Germany's being the biggest. I traveled with my daughter Cody, who is the VP of Sales at our family business.

On Saturday, me and Cody, and her beau Eric, strolled the darling streets of Covington, KY, where we enjoyed great coffee and discovered beautiful murals along the Ohio River. Check out that stein Cody is hoisting. It's painted!

For Oktoberfest, Cody was way ahead of me in the costume arena. My contribution was simply braids and a Sam Adams fedora. My plan for next year, though, is to go as Julie Andrews' doppelgänger in "The Sound of Music."

Cody's beau, Eric, looked quite Bavarian with his blonde hair, lederhosen, and hiking boots. I love the picture of them beneath the Covington clocktower.

We loved the @samadamscincy taproom. The beer was great. The pickles and charcuterie tasty. And the pretzel was the best and biggest we'd ever tasted. Plus, we ran into one of our reps (Ryan) and he bought us beer and t-shirts, introduced us to his family, and invited us on the party bus to the Sam Adams VIP area.

One of the highlights of the day was playing Sam Adams Jenga in the VIP area. After a couple of guys joined us, our Jenga tower got SO tall. Towards the end, everyone in the area was watching to see how it would end.

As we walked the streets of downtown Cincinnati, Cody spied two guys whose "costumes" she claimed were the best at the festival. Turns out, they were from Munich, Germany. They'd flown to the US to support the world's second largest Oktoberfest celebration.

Between the morning walk, the hike from Covington into Cincinnati, and all the festival gallivanting and dancing, we got 23,000 steps in!

All to say, Oktoberfest 2023 totally exceeded our expectations!

#oktoberfest🍻 #Oktoberfest #cincinnati #cincinnatiohio #roadtrip #itsfallyall #festivalfun #beerfest #beerhere

One of the best experiences of my life was when I

One of the best experiences of my life was when I sat across from a licensed professional counselor and she listened to my story in its entirety, handing me tissues, as needed.

When I finished, the first thing she said was, "What you just told me? I believe all of it."

If you're a survivor of child sexual abuse, chances are those are words you are longing to hear.

Please don't wait too long to talk to someone trained to hear stories like ours. I believe it'll be the first day of the rest of your life.
.
#childsexualabuseadvocate #childsexualabuseisreal #csasurvivor #abusesurvivor #tellyourstory #believesurvivors #healingtrauma #supportsurvivors #iseeyou #youmatter #healingjourney #traumasurvivor

“70% of all child sexual abuse incidents are ini

“70% of all child sexual abuse incidents are initiated by another child.”😦

When I heard that statistic last fall at the @d2lorg virtual child safety conference, I was devastated.

Partly because I am a survivor of child-on-child sexual abuse (aka COCSA). And also because when I first started speaking at body safety assemblies in public schools, this statistic was 40%.

Why has the COCSA statistic nearly doubled?

That question led me down a serious research rabbit hole. My blogpost on this topic—link in the bio—reveals a possible culprit.

Please don’t blow off this issue saying, “Boys will be boys!” or, “They’re going to watch porn no matter what I say or do.” Parents, grandparents, foster parents, and caregivers: This issue is too important to ignore!

Please read my blog post on the topic for safety strategies then pass it along to other adults raising or working with kids.

#childonchildsexualabuse #keepkidssafe #protectourkids #preventionispossible #parentingtips #parenting101 #parentinglife #raisingkids #childsafety #parentchild #parentchildrelationship #childsafetyeducator #parentchildconnection #survivor #fightthenewdrug

Last week my child safety book, "The Brave Knight,

Last week my child safety book, "The Brave Knight," experienced its highest sales to date on Amazon.com.

Probably because of the positive review CONSENTparenting posted on their Instagram account. Thank you so much, RR, for your encouraging words!

As you may have heard from other authors--child safety and otherwise--reviews, hopefully positive, are incredibly important on Amazon. The more favorable reviews a book receives, the kinder the Amazon algorithm tends to be.

If you've ever purchased a copy of "The Brave Knight" and found the content useful for showing your kids what the behavior and language of "grooming" looks and sounds like, your review may help get "The Brave Knight" into the hands of other caregivers and their children.

As a survivor of child sexual abuse, as a body safety educator in public schools, as a journalist and blogger (dianetarantini.com) on the topic, child safety is my life's work. Believe me when I say, every positive review inspires me to continue fighting the good fight!

Thank you again, CONSENTparenting! I'm very grateful for your vote of confidence.

#childsafety #preventchildabuse #preventionispossible #bodysafety #tweensafety #keepkidssafe #protectourkids #parenting101 #teachyourchildrenwell #bookreview #childsafetymatters #endchildabusenow #childsexualabuseawareness #bodysafetyforkids #groomingsigns

Last week I spoke at an interfaith survivor event

Last week I spoke at an interfaith survivor event in Reston, Virginia.

The space was beautiful.
The people were even more beautiful.
And of course, the survivor stories were extraordinary.

Thank you, @kescarry and your team, for having me.
I loved participating in the evening.

Thank you also for introducing me to:
-@juicybrewingco
-@crookedrunfermentation
-the local art vending machine you and Jake "invented" and installed inside Crooked Run. Genius!!

Seeing and snuggling your Tyra(@wheeled_up_pup)--short for Tyrannosaurus--with her diminutive front legs and GIANT energy, and gentle Ray in her ebony chillness, was a joy.

I love your YAY wall so much!
And the gorgeous flower garland your paper artist friend crafted for your wedding.

My only regret is that we didn't take a selfie of you and me. Sigh...

@ToughTopicsMom: Do you spy with your little eye your child safety book, “I Said No”?🙂

#believesurvivors #listentosurvivors #healing #traumahealing #traumarecovery #friendship #sitwithit #survivor #listenfirst #listen #healingjourney #tellyourstory #useyourvoice #virginia #RestonVA

I've seen it more than once. In my own life. In

I've seen it more than once.
In my own life.
In the life of others.

Abusers--sexual, physical, emotional--say they're sorry, even beg for forgiveness.

Then a week later, or a month, they're back at it again.

If you're not really going to stop, if you're not going to get help (for your anger issues, for your sexual addiction), save your "I'm sorry" for the person you cut off in traffic.

#childsexualabuseadvocate #childsexualabuseisreal #childsexualabuseprevention #stopchildabusenow #abuseprevention #childsafetymatters #preventchildabuse #tellyourstory #believesurvivors #survivor #abusesurvivor #healingtrauma

Diane Tarantini

Author of The Brave Knight
Child Safety Educator
Lover of cats, coffee, and sassy outfits

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