Sexy GLEE

Kids learn about sex from the media.   That’s been demonstrated again and again.  The American Academy of Pediatricians tell us that kids wills see over 40,000 TV ads each year, many of them using sex to sell.    The Kaiser Family Foundation research tells us that “seven in ten (71%) have a TV in their bedroom’  and kids spend 4 1/2 hours each day  with their eyeballs glued to a screen. There’s sex n the media and our kids absorb it.

So what did they see if they watched the episode of Glee entitled SEXY?    For those who don’t know, Glee is the FOX  TV series that turns  High School Musical  into a weekly ‘dramady’.   Lots of  drama, teen angst and breaking into song.    They’ve tackled serious issues and done better with some than others. This episode covered several  hot topics and most of  what they had to say was  pretty good.

Let’s start with the best — Kurt,  is a gay male teen with a straight dad.  The writers needed to stretch our imagination with a scene where Kurt’s gay schoolmate visits Kurt’s  Dad with a warning that Kurt is dangerously clueless about sex.   But Dad’s reaction was a stroke of genius by the writers.  He took the warning, and had ‘the talk’ with his son.  When Kurt balked, Dad acknowledged  that he was also uncomfortable, but they were having the conversation anyway  and they ‘would both be better men for it’.  And so Dad said…..

“For most guys, sex is just this thing we always want to do. It’s fun. It feels great. But we’re not really thinking too much about how it makes us feel on the inside or how the other person feels about it.

You’ve got to know that it means something. It’s doing something to you, to your heart, to your self-esteem, even though it feels like you’re just having fun… I want you to use it as a way to connect to another person. Don’t throw yourself around like you don’t matter. Because you matter, Kurt.”

Could someone please  give this message to every kid?     You matter.  Your body matters.  A piece of your soul is exposed in your orgasm.   You may never feel more exposed.   Choose REALLY, REALLY carefully who you want to share this with.

Dad told Kurt that guys sought sex just for the sex, that girls were the part of the couple that brought the emotion to the  equation.   Danger, Kurt — because with gay male couples no one is concerned about the emotional aspect.  So please Kurt — and every other human being  CHOOSE PARTNERS CAREFULLY!!

And so the proverbial rub — the part of the brain that humans use to  make good choices is not yet fully developed in adolescents.    Kids need an adult like Kurt’s Dad to share truth with love and limits.  Adults need the courage to be uncomfortable enough to give the priceless gift of information.

We may not want  teachers in our school to emulate  the sexy Ms. Haliday,  or our kids to emulate Puck in his clueless willingness to make a sex tape to help a friend seem more popular.  But maybe parents saw a role model worth their attention.  Glee draws a large audience in the 18 – 49 demographic, so there’s hope.

Glee shows viewers a fictional place where everyone can sing and dance,  where gay kids get to find a gay-friendly private school,  and where the pregnant cheerleader continues her education without interruption. Do we have to look at  a fictional world  to find parents who actually take the time  and  muster the courage to tell their kids their truth about sexuality?  Let’s not make honest communication with our children about sex a fiction.

How do I know????________________________________________________________

Kaiser Family Foundation -Kids and media study

http://www.kff.org/entmedia/entmedia012010nr.cfm

Glee Audience Demographics

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/04/glee-hits-high-note-for-fox-.html

American Academy of Pediatrics

http://tinyurl.com/AAP-Kids-and-Ads

What Parents Can Learn From Bill Zellers Final Words

Bill Zeller was a brilliant graduate student who could unwrap the mysteries of the digital world but was unable to find comfort and joy among people. The words of his poignant suicide note, in which he discussed his childhood rape by an unnamed man, will be parsed by many looking for an answer, a perpetrator, or a moral. Most of us will be tempted to point the finger at his parents, therapists or neighbors, and leave it at that.

But there is a lesson in Bill Zeller’s death even for the most loving and involved parent.

Parents play a critical role in ensuring their child’s sexual health and safety and are remarkably diverse in their ability to do so. Imagine a bell shaped curve; on one end of the curve are parents responsible for sexual abuse and the neglect of sexual pain described by Zeller.  On the other end we find dead silence around sexuality. Parents and caretakers of children must find their place in the center.

Children need loving, trusted adults to provide age-appropriate knowledge and language about every part of their body; silence and ignorance about sex are among the weapons used by molesters to coerce child victims into compliance. In his suicide note, Zeller described his parents as fundamentalists and it’s clear that he didn’t trust them (he wrote in his note that he hated them). But parents of all religions and belief systems  can and must protect their children with knowledge, language and comfort. All children deserve to live in a community where adults are aware of the signs of sexual abuse and know the resources available to a child victim and his family.

The trust of your child, their willingness to speak with you about what’s important to him or her, is one of a parent’s greatest assets in protecting their children against the hopelessness and pain that so many children experience and that drove Bill Zeller to take his life.

So Why Don’t We Talk?

Parents tell me that they just wouldn’t know where to start if they wanted to have a conversation about sex abuse. If they’ve never had a conversation with their child about sex, they don’t want their first one to be about molesters. Many parents just don’t want to think of sex and their child at the same time in any way at all.

Parents can fool themselves into thinking things will be fine. Some parents will wait until their kids get to school and hope their district provides a good child safety program. Maybe the scouts will have a special program, or the Sunday school. But programs provided by strangers discussing concepts that may be completely foreign to your child can’t possibly have the same effect as a loving dialog; there is no substitute for a permanently open line of communication with parents. Parents delay opening up that line when they’re scared that they won’t be able to handle what comes in. Parents need strategies and tactics to help reach and teach their child.

The Courage to Be Uncomfortable

It can certainly be uncomfortable to look closely at our own thoughts and feeling about sexuality and sex abuse. Along with the reality that sexual issues are shrouded in secrecy, many people enter adulthood with painful memories of their own.  In every community people have been scarred through unreported assault from an adult, sexually oriented bullying, sexually explicit and violent language, or date rape. Even without these negative experiences coloring our own perspective, talking to a child about sexuality can be tough.

But we need the courage to be uncomfortable. Keeping our kids sexually safe and healthy requires an extraordinarily brave commitment to self-awareness and healthy family intimacy.

I don’t want to join the on-line chorus of people trying to guess who did what to Bill Zeller. Whatever it was destroyed his spirit and ultimately cost him his life. A friend confided that Zeller’s story was his story and implored me to use my voice as an experienced professional to see if we could make anything decent come from this tragedy.  Adults are responsible for keeping children safe and in memory of Bill Zeller, I implore them to learn how. In that spirit I issue this call to action to all parents to find their place in the middle of the continuum; to find the courage to face their discomfort, the resources they need to maintain the sexual health and safety of their children and the consciousness to recognize a child bearing the scars left to strangle the spirit of Bill Zeller.

May he finally find peace.

Helpful Resources:

Read Zellers final words at   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/07/bill-zeller-dead-princeto_n_805689.html

The Sex Information and Education Council of the US  http://www.siecus.org/

The American Academy of Pediatrics   http://aappolicy.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/pediatrics;108/2/498

Prevent Child Abuse America   www.PreventChildAbuse.org

Dr. Janet Rosenzweig is a 30-year veteran of child welfare and youth serving programs. She is committed to bringing the best possible information to parents to help them raise safe, healthy, happy kids.  

This post is based on a column that first appeared in the Princeton Packet 2-8-11

The Top 10 List of …Reasons Not To Spank Your Child

The Top 10 List of …Reasons Not To Spank Your Child

Prevent Child Abuse New Jersey

Because Kids Don 7 Come with Instructions

 

 

 

The Top 10 List of …Reasons Not To Spank Your Child

  1.      Spanking can damage the parent-child relationship. It erodes the bonds of trust and closeness necessary for the parents to be able to socialize children. The child may feel anxiety, anger, or fear toward the parent (Hirschi, 1969, Azrin, Hake, Holz, & Hutchinson, 1965; Azrin & Holz, 1966)
  2.        Corporal punishment is associated with negative effects on mental health; harsh punishment can lead to adolescent depression and distress. Children who have been spanked may feel less confident and assertive and more humiliated and helpless. Corporal punishment has been associated significantly with adolescents’ depressive symptomology and distress (McLoyd, Jayarante, Ceballo & Borguez, 1994) (Baumrind & Black, 1967; Lasky, 1993).
  3.     Spanking interferes with moral development. Children will learn to act based on whether they get caught as opposed to real, internal morals and values. Spanking also reduces a child’s capacity for empathy.(Hoffman, 1983; Lepper, 1983).
  4.       Spanking is associated with increasing a child’s aggressive behavior. When spanking is used to punish aggressive behaviors the likelihood that children will continue to engage in aversive behaviors increase by 50% (Becker, 1964; Patterson, 1982; Radke-Yarrow, Campbell, & Burton, 1968; Steinmetz, 1979).
  5.        Spanking may lead to child abuse as tempers flare. As many as two thirds of abusive incidents may have begun as attempts to alter children’s behavior with a spanking (Coontz & Martin, 1988; Gil, 1973;Kadushin & Martin, 1981).
  6. Spanking can make a person more likely to act violently with a romantic partner later in life. (Caesar, 1988; Downs, Miller, Testa, & Parek, 1992; Sigelman, Berry, & Wiles; 1984; Straus & Yodanis, 1996; Swinford, DeMaris, Cernkovich, & Giordano, 2000).
  7.      Spanked children are more likely to become aggressive adolescents. Parent’s use of corporal punishment was the strongest predictor of adolescents’ aggression eight years later (P. Cohen, Brook, Cohen, Velez & Garcia, 1990).
  8.        Spanking legitimizes violence and aggression; Children who are spanked are more likely to resort to aggression and violence during conflicts as adults. (Aronfreed, 1969; Bandura & Walters, 1959; Eron et al, 1971; Walters & Grusec, 1977; White & Straus, 1981).
  9. Spanking is associated with an increase in child delinquency, antisocial behavior and the likelihood of adult criminal behavior (Burt, 1925, Gleuck and Gleuck, 1964, Hetherington et al, 1971, McCord and McCord, 1959, Wilson and Hernstein, 1985, Paterson et al, 1992.)
  10. Corporal punishment can convince a child to avoid misbehavior in order to avoid future punishment, but can not, on it’s own teach children the responsibility to behave independently in morally and socially acceptable ways (Hoffman 1983, Grusec, 1983)

References:

Grevin, P. Spare the Child: The Religious Roots of Punishment and Psychological Impact of Physical Abuse. Random House Inc. (1991)

Miller, A: For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence. Farrar, Straus and Giorux. (1990) Complete citations for articles available from PCA-NJ or Gershoff, Elizabeth: 2002, Corporal Punishment by Parents and Associated Child Behaviors and Experiences: A Meta-Analytic Theoretical Review Psychological Bulletin 128:4 539-579

Tips for Parents #13

Compliments of:

The Parenting Education Resource Center
Prevent Child Abuse – New Jersey
103 Church Street, Suite 210
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
1-800-CHILDREN (1-800-244-5373)
http://www.PreventChildAbuseNJ.org


La lista de las 10 mejores …Razones para no pegarle a su nino

  1. El pegarle a su nino puede afectar la relacion entre el padre y el nino. Corroe los enlaces de confianza y cercania necesarios para que los padres puedan socializar a los ninos. El nino puede sentir ansiedad, coraje o miedo hacia el padre (Hirschi, 1969, Azrin, Hake, Holz, & Hutchinson, 1965; Azrin & Holz, 1966)
  2. El castigo corporal es asociado con efectos negativos sobre la salud mental; el castigo extremadamente fuerte puede conducir a la depresion y afliccion en los adolescentes. Los ninos quienes han sido azotados pueden sentir menos confianza y ser menos asertivos y se pueden sentir humillados y desamparados. El castigo corporal ha sido asociado significativamente con la afliccion y los sintomas de depresion en los adolescentes. McLoyd, Jayarante, Ceballo & Borguez, 1994) (Baumrind & Black, 1967; Lasky, 1993).
  3. Los azotes interfieren con el desarrollo moral. Los ninos aprenderan a comportarse basado en si lo descubren en vez de operar en sus sentido de morales y valores internos y reales. El azotar a su nino reduce su capacidad de empatia. (Hoffman, 1983; Lepper, 1983).
  4. Azotar a los ninos se asocia con aumentar el comportamiento agresivo en los ninos. Cuando los azotes se utilizan para castigar comportamientos agresivos la probabilidad que los ninos continuen a utilizar comportamientos agresivos aumenta por un 50% (Becker, 1964; Patterson, 1982; Radke-Yarrow, Campbell, & Burton, 1968; Steinmetz, 1979).
  5. Los azotes pueden conducir al abuso de los ninos cuando los temperamentos se encolerizan. Hasta dos tercios de incidentes abusivos pueden haber comenzando como intentos de alterar el comportamiento de los ninos con azotes. (Coontz & Martin, 1988; Gil, 1973; Kadushin & Martin, 1981).
  6. Los azotes pueden hacer que la persona tenga mas probabilidad de comportarse violentamente con un companero romantico mas tarde en su vida.. (Caesar, 1988; Downs, Miller, Testa, & Parek, 1992; Sigelman, Berry, & Wiles; 1984; Straus & Yodanis, 1996; Swinford, DeMaris, Cernkovich, & Giordano, 2000).
  7. Los ninos quienes han sido azotado tienen mas probabilidad de convertirse en adolescentes agresivos. El uso de castigo corporal de los padres fue el pronosticador mas fuerte de la agresion de un adolescente ocho anos mas tarde. (P. Cohen, Brook, Cohen, Velez & Garcia, 1990).
  8. Los azotes legitimiza la violencia y la agresion; Los ninos que son azotados son mas probables de recurrir a la agresion y la violencia durante conflictos como adultos. (Aronfreed, 1969; Bandura & Walters, 1959; Eron et al, 1971; Walters & Grusec, 1977; White & Straus, 1981).
  9. Ser azotado se asocia con un aumento en la delincuencia del nino, la conducta antisocial y la probabilidad de la conducta criminal adulta. (Burt, 1925, Gleuck and Gleuck, 1964, Hetherington et al, 1971, McCord and McCord, 1959, Wilson and Hernstein, 1985, Paterson et al, 1992.)
  10. El castigo corporal puede convencer a un nino a evitar las malas conductas para evitar el castigo futuro, pero no puede, por si mismo ensenarle a los ninos la responsabilidad de comportarse independientemente en maneras moralmente y socialmente aceptables (Hoffman 1983, Grusec, 1983).

Referencias:

Grevin, P. Spare the Child: The Religious Roots of Punishment and Psychological Impact of Physical Abuse. Random House Inc. (1991)

Miller, A: For Your Own Good: Hidden Cruelty in Child-Rearing and the Roots of Violence. Farrar, Straus and Giorux. (1990) Complete citations for articles available from PCA-NJ or Gershoff, Elizabeth: 2002, Corporal Punishment by Parents and Associated Child Behaviors and Experiences: A Meta-Analytic Theoretical Review Psychological Bulletin 128:4 539-579

Consejos para padres #13

Obsequio del

Centro de Recursos Educativos para Padres
Prevent Child Abuse – New Jersey
103 Church Street, Suite 210
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
1-800-CHTLDREN (1-800-244-5373)
http://www.PreventChildAbuseNJ.org