If you haven't already watched "Audrie & Daisy," I highly recommend you do. If you have teenage daughters, I think you should watch it with them. I sat my two teenage daughters down and watched it with them and their father. I even had my sons watch it with us. It dealt with some issues that I thought was important for us to discuss as a family. Now my children know that there is no topic that we cannot or will not discuss, no matter how uncomfortable or taboo it may be. My kids were in elementary school when we tackled the subject of "No on H8te."
These were the things we touched upon:
1) While we don't condone underage drinking, we know it happens. We wanted it clear that if they ever felt that they were too intoxicated, they needed to contact me, their father, their older brother, or another adult they trusted. No judgement because we want safety first.
2) Alcohol/meds/drugs can strongly affect one's ability to make decisions. Be very aware of that fact.
3) When going to parties, make sure one friend is always designated to be the responsible one.
4) If anything bad happens, don't hide it from us. If they are being cyberbullied, assaulted, or raped, trust in us to know we will be there for them.
Having this discussion was important for me because I wanted to make sure my kids knew that no matter what, I was going to be there for them and they never had to feel like they had to carry whatever burden alone. I watched the movie and was hit hard with the stories of young girls feeling alone, judged, anger, anxiety, fear, etc...because they were all emotions I carried with me for so long.
If by having this discussion, I gave my girls a better chance at not having to be a victim, I'm glad. I don't want to continue a cycle of silence. This is my way of trying to end that.
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