|
| |
Talking to Teens About Dating and Dating Violence Early
While I believe that parents should start talking to teens as early as when kids first start asking questions about teen sexuality and the opposite sex, it seems I need to add dating violence prevention to my early talks with teens and tweens - or kids! - as well. There is new data out that suggests teens are having issues with dating violence as early as middle school. My first thoughts are, why are these young kids dating? Are they really dating in the traditional sense or are they just 'going out'? Do their parents know? Have their parents talk to them about the appropriate ways to treat a date? Probably not, because most parents feel 13 is too young to date, according the answers our parenting of teens community have given. Let's get to the data: RTI International for Start Strong(an organization geared toward building healthy teen relationships, link on blog), gave 1,430 students written questionnaires in the fall of 2010, indicates that many students are dating in middle school and have already encountered physical and psychological abuse in relationships. A total of eight middle schools were surveyed nationwide, including four with Start Strong programs and four without.
According to the survey, 75 percent of seventh grade students reported ever having a boyfriend or girlfriend, 37 percent indicated they had been victims of psychological dating violence in the past six months, 15 percent were a victim of physical dating violence, and 37 percent had been a victim of sexual harassment. First things first, I would like to see the survey done on older teens as well in order to get a base line on maturity issues. In other words, I'd like to know if the 'physical dating violence' is because of the immaturity of a 12 or 13-year-old teen or is it really the type of violence that leads to domestic violence calls to the police in the teen's future. I think it is really important to distinguish between the two. Not that either type of violence is appropriate, but one has been considered normal behavior since boys used to stick a girl's ponytail in an inkwell in the 50s. Labeling that type of attention seeking behavior as 'physical dating violence' could be detrimental to the kids involved. Yet, ignoring dating violence at this age could lead to big problems as well.
I guess that is one of the problems of letting younger kids date? What do you think? Please share your thoughts, opinions and experiences in the comments area.
Suggested Reading:
| Marijuana Use by Teens Statistics
Parents who know what is going on in their teen's world, have a better grasp at helping their teen deal with it. Here are the statistics for teen marijuana drug... Read more
| How To Help Your Teen Ace the Test
Teens need supportive surroundings when they are faced with the challenges of school. You can help your teen get better grades on his tests by using these tips... read more.... Read more
| Teen Crafts - Crafts, Projects and Ideas for Teens
Teen crafts are great fun! Arts and crafts project ideas and resources for teens can be found here. Many types of crafts for older kids, teens and young adults are simply taking adult crafting and giving them a teen outlook. Ideas for craft fairs and crafts for shows for youth groups and teen clubs can also be found here.
| |
| | Parenting of Adolescents Ads
| | | | Featured Articles | |
| | | More from About.com | | | | | | Financial Emergencies
An unexpected change in your financial situation can be incredibly stressful. Here's how to cope. More>
| | | | Retirement Planning
Learn the top five things you need to do in order to start building a retirement nest egg. More>
|
| | | | Sign up for more free newsletters on your favorite topics | | | | You are receiving this newsletter because you subscribed to the About Parenting Teens newsletter. If you wish to change your email address or unsubscribe, please click here.
About respects your privacy: Our Privacy Policy
Contact Information:
249 West 17th Street
New York, NY, 10011
© 2012 About.com | | | | |
Parenting Quizzes | | | | Follow me on: | | | |
Advertisement
 | |
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario