Aritcles for the Families Matter Show

Did you listen to our show, Families Matter yesterday on BTR's World of Ink Network? If not, you might want to catch it on demand. Kecia Burcham and VS Grenier addressed teen dating and how to play it safe. Dating has changed from when our parents and even us were dating. 1 out of 5 relationships starts over the internet and date rap is higher than most of us know because most women/teens don't report it.

So what do we do as parents, teachers and adults to keep kids safe in this ever changing world? Come listen in to the July 13th Families Matter show and hear a true story by VS Grenier about Date Rap and Kecia Burcham's advice and tips to educate our youth on dating.

Also, read Kecia Burcham's article, Safe Dates which prompted this months topic on the Families Matter show.

Listen to the Families Matter show on demand at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/worldofinknetwork/2011/07/13/families-matter

Here are two other articles that prompted the topic as well. We wish you and your teens a safe dating experience.

Teen Dating: A Mom's Guide

WebMD Feature from "Good Housekeeping" Magazine

by Barbara Whitaker
Everything's changed. What you must know-and do-to protect your child.

Remember sitting by the phone, waiting for a boy to call and ask for a date? Then waiting for him to come to the house to pick you up? Well, get over it-dating is different now. "Even the concept of dating is outdated," says Beth-Marie Jelsma, a psychotherapist in Rochester, New York.

Kids still start pairing off around the same age (between 12 and 14, with more serious relationships usually reserved for the later teen years), and parents still worry about them experimenting with sex. But these days, there's even more reason for concern. "Kids almost seem to be running the bases backward," says Marisa Nightingale, of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, referring to the new sexuality. How do you help your child navigate this complicated world? The first step is to understand it.

To read the whole article visit http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/teen-dating-guide-for-mom



From Today Parenting

Five tips for teen dating

Most important: Talk to your kids and teach respect

Dating is a time of social experimentation for teens. It’s a time to test out which type of partners appeal to them, and how they can negotiate a romantic relationship. But it can also be a confusing time and a difficult time for parents too. “Today” contributor Dr. Gail Saltz, a psychiatrist with New York Presbyterian Hospital, has some advice.

Teen dating can be a wonderful and fun time where self confidence is built up, and dating techniques are learned. Teens also learn how to be both assertive and compromising, how to be giving to another and how to expect the same in return. All of this is a sort of practice session in order to find “Mr.” or “Miss Right.”


Unfortunately, too often teens start dating with no preparatory talks from their parents and then they can get into trouble. According to Planned Parenthood, about 10 percent of teenage girls in the U.S. become pregnant before age 20. And the U.S. Attorney General reports that 38 percent of date rape victims are girls between the age of 14 and 17. 

To read the whole article visit http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/3088174/ns/today-parenting_and_family/t/five-tips-teen-dating/