Parents Beware!!!!

Capt. Aguillard, a D.A.R.E official, visited World of Learning Headstart Center recently to educate parents on what to watch out for concerning drugs.  When I tell you I looked like a deer in head lights after he finished speaking I'm not kidding!

I found out about how kids are hosting "forming" parties, (explanations can be given through email), creating "blue cheese" and refilling eye drop bottles with alcohol.  He suggested that you be nosey.  No teenager should have privacy.

Capt. Aguilard reminded us to be mindful of what you allow your kids to see you doing and to be mindful of things you allow them to do.  He an example of two kids, a brother and a sister, who were very close.  The younger sister complained of headaches often. One day his sister was crying about her headache and he said, "Well you know what momma takes when she has a headache"!  Most people don't realize that kids are watching you as much as they are. So much so that they know your habits.  The boy knew that his mother takes a pill when she has a headache but she never stopped and took the few seconds needed to explain to her son that only adults take pills. Pills are not for children.  The boy felt sorry for his sister and decided to do something about it.  He gave her a pill to take to help her headache go away.  The child had to be rushed to the hospital to have her stomach pumped.  The mother lost not only those two kids but all four of her kids to Child Protective Services. 

As Capt. Aguillard works security at the movie theater he sees teens being dropped off at the theater but never going in.  They walk up to the ticket booth and after their parents drive away, the teens don't go in, they get into other cars and leave.  I wasn't devious as a child, so these things didn't cross my mind but tat doesn't mean my kids won't, especially with the influence of other people's kids.

He also said to be mindful of whose home you allow your child to visit.  Get to know your neighbors because if something happens at their house and your child is there your child can be taken too.  Maybe their friend needs to be in your home so they can e exposed to a good, wholesome environment.

Just some food for thought.

*Be Dazzling*

How Soon Is Too Soon

Is it ever too soon to talk to kids about sex?????

I just don't know. I am very big on communication and when my children see or hear something they are curious about, depending on how explicit, I explain. Recently, on Facebook a friend of mine posted a video she found on Youtube of a child singing Chris Brown's song "Beg For It", as in beg to have sex. The little boy could not have been any older than 9 or 10 years old. My friend stated "I have a few problems with this video. The primary one being umm...how old is he talkin about some "beg for it"? lol I'm putting my kids in a plastic bubble after they come out." A woman responded with this comment, "Ikr! I never listen to the radio with my chilluns in the car. Smh. I have 8 glorious mins to rock out to whatever I want, either after I drop them off at school or before I pick them up...and you should see me go! Lol. I go hard." While I respect both of them for their view of how to protect children, I believe hiding things from them is not enough.

I decided to have sex because I wanted to, not because I was pressured into it or because I wanted to fit in or be "down" as they call it. It was a decision I made alone. My mom and I had "the talk" so I knew what to expect after and she even put me on birth control. I think because she did all of those things my experience was not bad and was done responsibly. I felt like I was alone amongst my friends because none of my friends parents were as open about the subject as my mom. I truly believe because their parents were not open and honest with them they all lost their virginity irresponsibly and the experience for all my high school girlfriends were bad.

I decided to research and find out if I really was the only young girl with an open minded parent.  After some research I found out 92 percent of parents do discuss relationships with their children, 87 percent discuss their own values about when sex should or should not take place, 74 percent of parents are talking about ways their kids can say no to sex, 94 percent believe they are actually influencing whether or not their children use condoms or other types of birth control but only 60 percent are actually bringing up and discussing birth control. I was so surprised to know other people were open like my mom was and I'm glad to know that somewhere there's a girl in a group whose first time won't be bad because she knew what to expect and what to do.

*Be Dazzling*