Elephant Journal
5.14.15 | Khara-Jade Warren
Parenting today is tougher than ever.
With so much information out there, often conflicting, it can be hard to know where we stand as guardians and teachers, let alone to pass on a clear message to our children.
Before they even hit their teens they will probably be exposed to a plethora of information and experiences in a million different ways, much of which is beyond our control.
Now more than ever, we as parents need to provide them with a rock-solid foundation of understanding and awareness to negotiate the minefield of innuendo, double-meaning and objectification that the media culture we live in serves up to them.
Here is one clear and powerful parenting lesson I came across online today. This is something I can, and will use with my boys. And it applies to all children, regardless of gender:
“A boy and a girl run around on the grass at the park. The boy tackles the girl. The girl laughs. She gets up and runs away. She loves to run. He chases, she turns and they grab each other, tumble and land in a pile, giggling. After a few minutes, he tackles her again and she lands a bit hard. She is bigger and physical, but he more than holds his own in roughhousing. She pauses for a second. Then she laughs again; she’s still having fun.
Dad gets his attention, and says, “If she’s not having fun, you have to stop.”
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