Many are calling, Skins, the newest MTV television show, "teen porn." Others are pressuring the network to take it off the air. But is it, as the show creators and cast suggest, the common behavior of the average American teenager?
Good Morning America, in response to the uproar over this show, invited Dr Michael Bradley, author of “When Things Get Crazy with your Teen” to be their guest. He suggested that adults watch controversial shows, such as Skins, with their children, rather than let them watch it with their friends or on their own. Dr. Bradley, an expert in the field of raising teenagers in this crazy culture, wisely cautioned adults saying, “It’s not so much what you tell them, but what you ask them.” He suggests that the old strategy (of isolating our kids from bad things) no longer works in this media-savvy world because this is a “new war.”
I agree--not necessarily that you have to watch the show with your kids, but that you need to talk with teens about what is really going on around them (not what you think or hope or feel is happening).
Whatever the “hot topic” in your student’s world--whether it is transported to them by way of television, music, movies, texts, Facebook posts, or telephone conversations--that is exactly what you should be talking about with them.
If you haven’t noticed--perhaps because you don’t have kids yet, or your kids are either grown or still toddlers--our culture is and has been consuming (swallowing alive) this young generation of Americans. From the sexualization of girls to the bullying of classmates, we--the collective mass of adults in America--are retreating like stunned observers, rather than standing up, mentoring and protecting this young generation of young boys and girls.
In the past twenty-five years, I’ve been a coach, a youth worker, as well as a speaker and author for high school and college students. As an advocate for this young generation, I am convinced that our culture is not changing for the better. For example, even a decade ago it wasn’t popular to be a binge-drinking, sex-crazed teenager. Today it is. Now dozens of television shows such as MTV’s Skins glorifies, suggests, or creates a false (and demoralizing) picture of what true love, passion, fun, or a person’s worth is based upon.
At the close of the GMA interview with Dr. Bradley, he said, “If you change a belief, you change the child.”
You don’t have to be a parent of a teenager to make a difference in the life a young person. Any co-worker, relative (aunt, uncle, or older sibling), teacher, administrator, school janitor, employee at their favorite hang-out, or neighbor can make a powerful and positive difference in a teenagers life. How? Talk to them about the culture. Ask questions about what you read or hear in the news. It’s okay to be clueless or surprised. Just don’t be judgmental. It’s okay to make statements of your beliefs and why you believe what you do. They need to hear that an adult has strong, moral convictions about love and life. Most of all, don’t assume teenagers aren’t looking, hoping, even begging for someone to tell them that it’s okay to have values, to stand apart, to respect others, or that it’s right to do those things!
To change culture (a big result), our nation needs individuals like you and me to pay attention to the young boys and girls in our circle of friends and family, in our neighborhoods, and in our communities.
This week, I encourage you to make a few little changes in the way you interact with tweens, teens, and twenties: Ask questions. Listen for their answers. Share your beliefs. Pray for them. Pray for our nation.
Be encouraged,
Becky
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