Staying Sane While Raising Your Teens

3 Ways to Protect Your Daughter

I went to a local viewing of Lady Sings the Blues last week and remember how much I enjoyed the music. The clothes and make-up were beautiful and the singing by Diana Ross was superb. Her life story was hard to watch and I couldn’t finish the movie. I was also reminded of how easy it was for her to be   marginalized as a young black teenager. Everybody that was supposed to keep an eye on her had other ideas. Her mom sent her to live with her aunt (mom’s sister); she was left home to clean the house, and was molested because nobody was really looking out for her. As she became a young successful woman, it was easy to assume she was living a great life because she had the ‘look’.

I just wished Elenora/Billy Holiday’s and her mother had had a real conversation and her mom was able to offer her some true support. I believe this is where some of us are with our sons & daughters. If we’re bold enough we ask the right questions:

1. Are you having sex?
2. Are you using/selling drugs?
3. Are you dating older men?
4. Are you being sexually abused by my new husband? 

We need to be prepared to handle the answers that we may receive? Here are some ideas:

1. If your daughter’s behavior changes ask her “what’s going on“.

2. If she tells you an unbelievable story, believe her.

3. If she is being harassed or abused, support and protect her without judgement.

If we want to turn around our current and future generations, we have to be courageous and fearless. Our kids certainly are.

August 23, 2016 at 12:59 am Leave a comment