Help Prevent Domestic Violence: Talk to Your Child About Healthy Relationships
Many people don’t realize that one in three teens will experience some form of abuse from a dating partner, be it physical, sexual, or verbal abuse. And although parents are talking to their kids about many things, healthy relationships are rarely on the agenda. Unfortunately, three out of four parents have never had a conversation about domestic violence with their children.
Talking to your children about what it means to have a healthy relationship is a critical and easy first step to ensuring they are prepared to have safe, respectful relationships throughout their lives.
The perfect time to start talking
This year on February 4th, parents across the country are joining forces to start having these critical conversations with their kids for “NO MORE Silence: It’s Time To Talk Day.”
An annual conversation day presented by Mary Kay and Break the Cycle’s Love Is Not Abuse campaign in partnership with Verizon, NO MORE Silence: It’s Time To Talk Day is focused on educating and equipping parents, mentors, youth advocates, and others to start talking to teens about healthy relationships and encouraging them to make this issue a priority year-round.
What to do on NO MORE Silence: It’s Time To Talk Day
Anyone can get involved by pledging to start a conversation about healthy relationships on February 4th (click here to take the pledge). You can also host or attend one of the dynamic It’s Time To Talk Day Talk-A-Thons that will be going on across the country.
Visit www.timetotalknyc.com to attend a free Talk-A-Thon in New York City with Mary Kay Cause Champion and Olympic Gold Medalist Jordyn Wieber, free breakfast, giveaways and more. See the It’s Time To Talk Day Activity Map to find an event near you, or use the free online tools in the Host a Talk-A-Thon Guide to learn how to host your own.
How to start a conversation about healthy relationships
Starting a conversation with your child about healthy relationships doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are some tips to get started:
- Provide your child with examples of healthy relationships, pointing out unhealthy behavior. Use examples from your own life, television, movies or music.
- Ask questions and encourage open discussion. Make sure you listen to your son or daughter, giving them a chance to speak. Avoid analyzing, interrupting, lecturing or accusing.
- Keep it low key. Don’t push it if your child is not ready to talk. Try again another time.
- Be supportive and nonjudgmental so they know they can come to you for help if their relationship becomes unhealthy in the future.
- Admit to not knowing the answer to a particular question. This response builds trust.
- Reinforce that dating should be fun! Stress that violence is never acceptable.
- Discuss options your child has if they witness dating violence or experience it themselves.
- Remind your son or daughter that they have the right to say “no” to anything they are not comfortable with or ready for and must respect the rights of others.
- If your child is in a relationship that feels uncomfortable, awkward or frightening, assure them that they can come to you. And remember – any decisions they make about the relationship should be their own.
Make healthy relationships a priority year-round
The work doesn’t end on February 4th! You can commit to making this issue a priority year-round and there are several ways to get started. Add your name to the Love Is Not Abuse Coalition, a grassroots army of thousands of advocates across the country who are supporting and promoting healthy relationships in a variety of ways in their own communities. Many of these passionate mothers, fathers, teachers and mentors have led the charge in bringing healthy relationship education to schools and school districts, advocating for legislation and generating local and national visibility for this hidden issue. You can also donate a no-longer used wireless phone to HopeLine from Verizon, a program that supports survivors of domestic violence nationwide.
Visit www.itstimetotalkday.org to learn more.
If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse or has a question about relationship health, you can text “loveis” to 22522 for 24/7 support from advocates at Love Is Respect, sponsored by Mary Kay.