As we are sure you recognize by now, PARENTS: your child/teen lives in a world that is very different from when you were growing up. To the parents born prior to the widespread use of digital technology (known as a digital immigrant), parenting digital natives can at times seem overwhelming. For example, how do you protect your child from harmful websites while allowing them online to do their homework? Is it wrong to give your child their own digital device in elementary and middle school? Who is your teen chatting with online and how can you know where they are going online to chat?
Topics that either did not exist or were never talked about are very real issues today that our children are struggling with: cyberbullying and bullying at school, teen suicide, internet and online addiction, depression, social media, sexting, peer pressure (on and offline), violent TV/video games, eating disorders, and sexuality/sexual identity to name some.
While we believe that our children CAN rise above the chaos around them, it takes you as a parent being actively involved in their lives while protecting them. Gone are the days where parents had to worry about who their child was playing with in the neighborhood. Your child’s neighborhood has expanded to include anyone, anywhere, at any time through the use of digital technology and it will only increase with virtual reality (VR). While your adolescent may not need you the same way they did when they were much younger, they need you now – more than ever.
46% of teens said they would change their online behavior if they knew their parents were paying attention. – iParent.tv
We strongly believe that when active loving parents remain consistent in an adolescent’s life, their desire to seek external support and love dramatically decreases.
We pulled together a brief list of helpful resources for parents to research, which speak to many of the topics listed above:
Tools for Parenting in the Digital Age
Parents today can protect their child while online.
Pornography and Online Accountability/Safety
Pornography is at the fingertips of our children. The average age of first time exposure to pornography is down to 8 years old. Parents consider modeling accountability to your teens by signing yourself up for one of the below accountability resources, and use it to have a conversation with your teen.
Resourcing Parents: Parents be in the Know and Have Impactful Conversations with Your Adolescent
Just as it is important for parents to not just have “the talk” once, but have an on-going conversation about sex and sexuality, it is also important to have on-going conversations about other important topics. This is not only to encourage healthy ways of living but more importantly to be a trusted source when your teen has questions. These resources will help parents be more in the know about trending topics as well as great talking points.
Parents it is your responsibility to protect your children. While there is no “one size fits all” with parenting, and the “all or nothing” strategy does not work with technology and children, it IS important to talk and listen, as well as set and model healthy boundaries in your home.
In our centers, we provide no cost pregnancy verification services and we also provide educational materials for our patients and their partners/family members. If you know someone that is facing an unplanned pregnancy, share our patient resources with them. We are here to walk alongside our patients and their partners, and we are also here for their parents.
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