Heather Knox provides advice on how to educate your sons how to avoid the harmful physical abuse that access to porn leads to:

* Show boys how healthy relationships work – talk about partners in your whanau or community who show mutual respect.

* Demonstrate the concept of consent – when kids are playing wrestling or tickling games, make sure that the tickler/wrestler stops the first time they are asked to stop.

* Talk to boys about how they see relationships – is a girl a potential equal partner, or a conquest or prize to boast about?

* Brainstorm ways of dealing with rejection and disappointment – if she says “no” what can you do/say? Push her? Pressure her? Or say “ok, no worries! How about something else instead?”.

* Talk about how poor decisions affect both parties – when a boy pushes a girl around, she feels bad but he will also feel bad, maybe even guilty or ashamed, when he realises he has scared and hurt someone he likes.

For full story published 4/05/15 see:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff-nation/11689258/Protecting-our-children-from-porns-pattern-of-harm [Read more…]