It’s Not 1994 Anymore
Worth Your Time!
Resource Recommendations to Help You Parent and Mentor Most Effectively
Two-for-One!
Since this week's recommendations have a lot in common, I'm including both!
"Londonderry school board votes to keep varsity cheerleading team suspended"
Article from WMUR
Read It Here
"Petition demands expulsion of New Hampshire students accused of sharing and 'grading' photos of female classmates without consent"
Article from CNN
Read It Here
Why These Are Worth Your Time
For those who live in New England, these are local stories about local teens. Problems don't just happen "out there" - they happen right around us in the communities in which we live.
When we look closely, these articles can give us insights into multiple aspects of current teen life: cell phones, social media, cyberbullying, cancel culture, sexualization of others, still-developing brains, etc.
It's important to note that currently these stories are allegations. Some assumptions may ultimately be incorrect; nevertheless, they are learning opportunities that reflect the lives of many teens - including teens in Christian schools.
How To Use Them
Send these articles to a teen in your life and start a conversation. "What are your thoughts on all of this? Do you ever see or hear about stuff like this happening at your school? Have you ever experienced something similar?"
When reading these articles, try to imagine what each person involved might feel - and what you might feel if you were them:
an 11th grade girl who feels humiliated and objectified and now walks around always wondering if people are taking pictures of her body parts when she doesn't even know it
a 14-year-old guy who made a bad choice and knows that now over 4,000 petition-signers from his own school and community and all over the country want his life utterly destroyed, and he can't see how it will ever get better
a 12th grade cheerleader who hates herself for how she treated other girls on her team and is embarrassed that her actions even made it into publications like People Magazine and UK newspapers - and is now being cyberbullied herself
a 10th grade cheerleader who was bullied both inside and outside of school for her weight, looks, or race - by the people with whom she desperately wanted to be friends
a 16-year-old who feels guilty because he/she was aware of what was happening and wanted to speak up but lacked courage
the innocent students who have been interviewed by school administrators and fear that they will be accused
How many of the students involved are having suicidal thoughts? How many lack adult support to guide them through all of this? How many of them will let hurt or anger or guilt or insecurities ruin years of their lives?
Most of the students involved probably do not come from Christian homes and may not understand concepts like grace, forgiveness, redemption, and hope. If you discuss these stories with a teen in your life, use it as an opportunity to talk about these things!
It may also be appropriate to share personal experiences (what you went through, how you handled it, how you wish you'd handled it, what you learned, etc.). Just listen well first.
Avoid thinking it's the same as when you grew up. Yes, the root issues may be the same, but the context is very different. In the 90s, you could usually get away from bullying when the school bell rang at the end of the day - now, it can continue 24/7 over texting and social media. In the 90s, teens might go to a friend's house and secretly look at a porn magazine - now, pre-teens and teens can fill their hearts and minds any time of day or night with all kinds of porn that reduce humans to nothing more than sex objects. In the 90s, when you made a bad choice, others' knowledge of it was typically limited - now, millions of people around the world can know what you did and tell you what an awful human being you are. It's not the same - technology and culture have both changed drastically!