What do you know about The Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships initiative?
Recently Mom Central and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation hosted a media event for mom and dad bloggers at New York City?s Le Cirque on this issue. Fortunate to be in the audience, I heard Kristin Schubert, MPH, Program officer, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; Dr. Jennifer Hartstein, On-air contributor, CBS?s The Early Show and child, adolescent and family psychologist; and Alexandra Smith, Co-director, Start Strong Bronx speak on parenting and how we need to stop violence before it starts. These three professionals did an excellent job of bringing the issue forth while telling it like it is. Glad I was in the audience.
Real world 2011: Kids grow up fast and need to be educated in social and relationship skills. Middle school students especially low in self-esteem are prone to impulsivity and risk-taking. As curiosity about sex, alcohol, and drugs surfaces, parents must learn to listen and respond effectively. Firm, gentle, sensitive, consist messages on the ?building blocks for life? give tweens and young teens modeling techniques. What can be more important to emotional growth than communication, support, trust/honesty, mutual respect, equality safety, and happiness?
Times have change. Ten years into the New Millennium, today?s youth are different than their counterparts in the last one. Most commonly, adolescence begins for girls at age 11 and for boys at 12.5. Parents are no longer their only available support structure. Adolescents, moved from dependence to independence by peers and peer pressure, gravitate to relationships. They go to those who listen, to those who they think their opinions matter, so parents beware and learn to facilitate conversations (askable not judgmental is key).
Statistics FYI:
70% of 14 year old, eighth graders are currently in relationships
20% of children ages 11-14 say friends are victims of dating violence.
40% of children ages 11-14 in relationships know friends who are verbally abused
34% of teens sexually active by 15 have been physically abused
As victimization?be it physical, emotional, sexual, or digital?continues to grow, studies suggest that grade school bullying is a predictor. Perhaps bullying really is the same thing as dating violence, just a different form. Who can debate that teen dating abuse has to be on everyone?s radar as children form romantic relationships. Now think about happens when children have children.
Help break the cycle before it begins. Go online to www.startstrongteens.org for an overall view and www.startstrongparfengts.org for tips and resources. As a national
program, Start Strong: Building Healthy Teen Relationships (Start Strong), offers much.
I wrote this review after attending a luncheon at Le Cirque hosted by Mom Central. Mom Central also sent me a gift card to thank me for joining. As always, my opinions are my own.
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