✅ The Best Way to Respond to Your Kid Seeing P*rn
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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 to porn on the iPad her son was using. And she was devastated. Her first impulse was to go to his school, pull him out of class, and interrogate him. I recommended she wait until she had dealt with her own emotions first. She needed to give herself time to calm down and think clearly. Exploding all over her son would probably not achieve her goal of getting to the truth. Or helping him deal with the reasons he’d been looking. Tricia took my advice and was able to approach her son with concern, not crazy. She brought her husband on board as well. Parenting is rough these days and filled with lots of jolts and surprises–especially around tech use. That’s why my team compiled My Kid Saw Porn! Now What? A SMART Plan for Parents. It’s 88 pages of our best curated advice from experts and parents alike. First, you’ll learn the SMART Plan: Stay calm Make a plan Assess Regularly check in Train on tech That first one–Stay calm–may be one of the hardest. But we’ve got you covered with our best tips and reasons why. The second is crucial–once you’ve calmed down and your “feeling brain” is no longer in “fight or flight” mode, you can Make a plan. Your plan needs to include several questions, but should not happen in one sit down talk. The SMART Plan walks you through a list of crucial questions to discuss. After you’ve had a few conversations with your child, and gotten some answers, now is the time to Assess.
After these initial conversations, you’ll want to Regularly check in with your child and Train your entire family on technology use–according to your family’s values. Of course, you’re going to have a lot more questions. And the SMART Plan Guide has curated a list of answers from experts and parents who’ve been there. Here are a few of the topics covered in the SMART Plan Guide:
Grab the SMART Plan Guide today to discover essential keys to porn-proofing your children. Warmly, Kristen P.S. New podcast episode! I enjoyed my conversation with David and Sissy of the Raising Boys and Girls Podcast, and the episode just became available today. Click here to watch! P.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. Looking for additional resources to discuss the dangers of pornography with your children? Our Good Pictures Bad Pictures books can give you the words, stories, and confidence to begin. |
Defend Young Minds
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