When a child discloses abuse, it rarely sounds like a clear confession. More often, it’s hidden in hints, changes in behavior, coded language, or even silence. In this deeply personal episode, we begin our series on disclosures by exploring the subtle, often-missed ways children reveal abuse, and why so many attempts to tell are ignored, dismissed, or misunderstood.

Drawing from a moving volunteer training excerpt and a real-life account from lawyer and listener Emmanuella Nyong, we unpack:

1. The stages children often go through before a full disclosureCommon ways adults miss critical cues

2. Why most disclosures are messy, delayed, incomplete, or recanted

3. How to be the kind of adult a child can safely speak to

This episode will challenge how you think about “telling” and equip you to listen beyond words, because many children are speaking, just not in the language we’ve been taught to hear.