Child sexual abuse may very well be the most difficult topic parents and their kids ever confront. How does an adult open the conversation? How does a child tell a grown-up when something inappropriate has occurred? How do they even know?

Like way-too-many Utah parents, Taylorsville wife and mother of nine Jennette Booth has had to confront the ugliness of child sexual abuse and its aftermath in her own family. Like so many others, she wondered how this challenging topic could be addressed among loved ones.

“I have been a vocal teacher for many years and have dabbled in songwriting even longer,” Booth said. “As I thought about how children could be introduced to topics like ‘tricky people’ and ‘my body, my rules,’ I thought they might first be broached through music.” 

The result of Jennette’s groundbreaking vision is now on full YouTube display (youtube.com/@bodysafetysongs), where her brief, illustrated music videos have already been viewed more than 100,000 times. With titles like: “My Safety Circle,” “Tell! Tell! Tell!” and “I’ve Gotta Go,” these 90-second to 3-minute vignettes provide a kid-friendly way into these darkest of topics.

“I got the idea of producing music videos after looking at the kind of anti-child sexual abuse media that’s out there,” Booth continued. “Sure, there are plenty of books. But they are uncomfortable and certainly not for kids. I wanted to create something that would make children feel more empowered. I want them to understand they control their own bodies and they can speak out when someone is getting too close or making them uncomfortable.”

Once her idea took shape, the project became all about the work. With the help of her youngest children as vocalists, the Booth family got a lot done – in a short amount of time – earlier this year. 

“January through March of this year was a whirlwind of activity for my entire family,” Booth explained. “I was trying to work my way into the Mrs. Utah Pageant in order to give the body safety songs a larger platform. I was also working with my five youngest children to be my vocalists. And I was arranging to host a safety fair, where we could ‘launch’ the videos in a public way.”

That’s a lot to unpack.

To secure her position as one of the 18 final contestants in the Mrs. Utah Pageant, Jennette applied for and was accepted as Mrs. Rocky Mountain. She said “That was mostly about submitting the proper forms and paperwork. But I knew it would get me into the Mrs. Utah competition, where I thought the raised profile would help me get the word out about the body safety videos.”

Booth says she is thrilled to be named third runner-up at the Mrs. Utah Pageant, held March 25 at Murray High School. “I didn’t want all the time-consuming duties that go along with being Mrs. Utah, because I want to spend my time getting the word out about the videos – so it worked out perfect,” she added.

To produce her body safety music videos, Booth turned to the renowned Japanese-American music arranger and choir director Masa Fukuda. With a full-scale, professional recording studio inside his Herriman home, Fukuda – the director and founder of One Voice Children’s Choir – turned the Booth children loose to do their thing.

“The kids recorded all the video vocals in about six sessions at Masa’s home in February,” Booth said. “The oldest, my 14-year-old, nailed it in one or two takes. Then my 8-year-old son made all of our jaws drop when he did his, straight through, in one take. It was challenging for my kids. The pressure of being in a studio is hard. But they were rock stars. There were no more than five or six takes for any of the songs.”

“I was kind of nervous, but it went OK,” 8-year-old Bronson Booth said. “I felt glad when it was over and I didn’t have to record any more songs. I am proud of the project.”

For the record, 11 body safety videos are on YouTube now, with the final three expected to be posted on the popular platform by the end of the summer. All of the video artwork was done by Booth, with an assist from her brother-in-law.

Soon after the February recording sessions – and just a week before the Mrs. Utah Pageant – Booth found herself hosting her safety fair/video launch party.

“A couple of hundred people attended the 90-minute safety fair and we had the body safety videos playing on a loop the entire time,” Booth explained. “Several public safety organizations hosted information booths, including: Taylorsville Police, Operation Underground Railroad, Primary Childrens Hospital and Prevent Child Abuse Utah. It was a very positive night.”

At Booth’s side through this busy time has been her husband of nearly 22 years, Colin. The two of them met as Utah State University students after each had returned from overseas missions for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (hers to South Korea, his to Germany). By the way – and you may NEVER have heard of this happening before – the Booth’s nine children were born girl-boy-girl-boy-girl-boy-girl-boy-girl – never the same sex for two consecutive kids.

Colin Booth admits it took him a minute to get completely on board with his wife’s anti-sexual abuse music video plan.

“It’s such a difficult and uncomfortable topic; my initial reaction was not positive,” he said. “But she really slaved over the message as she wrote the songs – choosing each word so carefully. Now I feel they turned out perfect. After hearing them, parents can discuss these horrible topics in a more casual way. The proof is in the pudding. They are catchy, informative songs. I am fully on board.”

Now that her oldest son’s 2023 Taylorsville High School graduation has just come and gone, Jennette is looking ahead to a summer of public appearances to continue promoting her body safety music videos.

“I’ve signed up to participate in 12 to 14 Night Out Against Crime events, in Utah, Salt Lake, Davis and Cache Counties,” Jennette Booth concluded. “We’ll also be appearing in several summer parades, including the Taylorsville Dayzz parade. Our QR code will be prominently displayed so people can quickly link to and see the videos. I’ve also been speaking to a number of parent groups about them. I want people to understand we need to address these difficult topics with our children – and the music videos are a positive way into those conversations.”

As Colin Booth would say, “The proof is in the pudding.” Visit youtube.com/@bodysafetysongs to determine for yourself whether Jennette Booth’s passion project might help you open the door into this most difficult conversation topic. λ