đź’ť Give Your Kids the Love Stories They Deserve
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Hello Reader, With Valentine’s Day just ahead, some of us are thinking about love stories–the kind that work out and maybe even those that don’t! Here are real-life love stats worth paying attention to: a new research brief from the Institute for Family Studies (using the General Social Survey) found that
Why does this matter when you’re raising young kids and teens? Because you’re not just guiding them through childhood—you’re shaping their future relationships. And that’s why we need to talk about pornography! It’s truly affecting millions of love stories! One major longitudinal study found that when married Americans began using pornography, their probability of divorce roughly doubled (odds ratio about 2.19). And divorce doesn’t just impact adults—it reshapes children’s sense of safety, trust, and love. One practical way to prepare kids for strong, happy marriages later is to teach them—early and often—how to avoid pornography and speak up if they see it (my books can help). See our classic article Swipe Left on Chatbots: 5 Heartfelt Lessons on Genuine Love to get talking points on:
Keep in mind, today’s small conversations build tomorrow’s strong families—and create opportunities to give kids the love stories they deserve. Warmly & with you, Sources: IFS GSS brief on happiness (ifstudies.org); longitudinal divorce finding (Perry & Schleifer, 2018) (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) P.S. Join us at the Heal Young Minds Conference on March 13th in Birmingham AL. Counselors, school counselors, nurses and others who work with children are invited. This is a groundbreaking event with an impressive line-up of speakers. All coming together to educate professionals on evidence-based strategies for treating kids harmed by pornography. Seats limited–register today for early bird pricing.​ Help your child build an internal filter that can help shape their future relationships. Resources like our Good Pictures Bad Pictures books give parents a simple, age-appropriate way to talk with kids about pornography before exposure happens. |
Defend Young Minds
Hello Reader, One morning I answered a phone call from a friend. I heard sobbing, but couldn’t make out the words. Finally, I asked, “Tricia, should I come over?” “Yesss,” I heard. When I arrived, I rang the doorbell and knocked on the door, but no answer. I let myself in, followed the muffled cries, and gave my friend a big hug when I found her in her bedroom. I assumed the worst. Maybe a loved one had died? Her husband had asked for a divorce? It was none of that. My friend had found links...
Hello Reader, A few hours after our Tuesday newsletter went out, we were made aware the sign-up page for updates about my new book, Good Pictures Bad Pictures Guide for Girls: How I Stay Safe, Smart & Confident, was not allowing visitors to input their information. If you were one of these visitors, I apologize! The page has since been fixed and you are now able to add your information. Sign-up for Girls Guide updates here I appreciate all of your support as we prepare to launch this new...
Hello Reader, Are you seeing more hypersexualized behavior in kids? Why is that? Most professionals attribute it to hands-on abuse. But it may be something quite different. Professionals often miss the link between problematic child behaviors and pornography exposure. In our tech-driven world, teachers, therapists, and social workers are increasingly seeing children with concerning sexual behaviors directly tied to early, repeated online exposure to pornography. As a result, many kids aren’t...