Written boundaries are at the heart of protecting children. Without them, every day is filled with a myriad of subjective choices that are far too often hindered by our emotions, opinions, relationships, and quest for personal gain (acceptance, love, security, money, etc.). When boundaries are established and documented in writing, they provide a mechanism for objective decision making that applies to everyone who comes in contact with your children. No exceptions!

Consequences of breaking the boundaries should also be clearly established and documented ahead of time which removes the need for decisions about repercussions after the fact when emotions are likely to influence the decision. For parents, boundaries fall into 11 key categories:

1. In Your Home
2. In Other People's Homes
3. In the Neighborhood
4. Child-to-Child Boundaries
5. In Cars and Buses
6. In Youth Serving Organizations
   • On-Site Boundaries
   • Off-Site Boundaries
   • Off-Hours Boundaries
   • Electronic Communication and Social Media Boundaries
   • Child-to-Child Boundaries
   • Gift Boundaries
7. At the Doctors and In Hospitals
8. Out and About in the Community
9. On Vacation
10. On the Internet
11. With Registered Sex Offenders

Additional boundaries may apply for children with disabilities, depending on their ability to understand boundaries, their physical ability to remove themselves from danger and their ability to communicate concerns and/or inappropriate behavior after the fact.