IMG: Sxc.hu Model: Heather Hughes

A few terms you will want to know is:

8 = this simple number actually means oral sex
420 = marijuana
banana = penis
CD9 =  Parents are around (yep warning about us being nearby)
MOS = Mom over shoulder
IWSN = I want sex now
TDTM = talk dirty to me
LMIRL = Let’s meet in real life
IF/IB = In the front or in the Back
GNOC = get naked on the Cam

There are more phrases you’ll probably want to learn, Fox Atlanta has an entire list of 50 text phrases you should know.

Post from: Blisstree

10 Text Terms Your Teen May Use

First, there’s the nudity aspect, which is sure to freak out parents, but teens getting naked, it’s nothing new. I was reading something at Switched today that mentioned a  piece in the National Post quoting Professor Peter Cumming from York University, in Toronto who feels that Sexting is along the same lines as Spin the Bottle.

When I was growing up in rural Northern California, kids did something called “Going In the Barn.” (I was pretty prudish – I so was not going in the barn with anybody.) I’m not going to go into detail, but it had to do with peeping some nudity, and this was back in the mid-to-late 70s. Kids are curious. Couple that with the hormonal drive of your average adolescent and really Sexting makes a sort of disturbing sense.

The biggest problem that I can see with it comes into play when the photos are shared. Someone breaks up with somebody or a phone gets stolen or even borrowed and that’s when something personal and private can become very, very public. And were you aware that some of these kids are being prosecuted as child pornographers?  There’s even the risk of having to register as a sex offender, which I feel is both extreme and nuts.

I’m not saying that I’m cool with Sexting. What I am saying is that kids are kids and sometimes they do stupid and destructive things. And sometimes these destructive things are hormonally driven.  Kids have always had the potential for the stupid and the destructive. Kids today are not necessarily worse than the kids that we grew up with.

Amy Hasinoff, a doctoral candidate from the University of Illinois, feels society is using Sexting as another way to label young girls as bad.

…Ms. Hasinoff argues that just as the courts are missing the point by failing to distinguish between nudity and child pornography, the media are likewise doing more harm than good by portraying a girl’s sexual self-expression as an invitation for sexual harassment.

Harassment, she said, could involve the non-consensual distribution of a private photo by a disgruntled ex-boyfriend, for example.

“The media and society seem to talk about girls as sexually naive and innocent,” she said. “Then as soon as they become active, we deem them as deviant and blame them.”

There’s only so much we can do to protect our kids. Nobody likes to think about their kids having sex or expressing themselves in a sexual way. It’s uncomfortable and in opposition to what we want for our babies, but the reality of is that kids grow up. And they sometimes get naked.

Teach your child to love and respect him or herself. That’s really all you can do, because you can’t be with them 24/7 and one thing you can count on is that sometimes they are going to screw up, but eventually they will be grown-ups and their children will find something new and even more shocking to get self-destructive with.

Post from: Blisstree

Is Sexting Like Spin the Bottle?

With the current economic states many college students are replacing their dreams of expensive 4-year colleges with cheaper community colleges.

Miley Cyrus’ tween years were “friendless, lonely and miserable” as she was bullied by mean girls.

One of the teens convicted of beating a fellow student and videotaping it for YouTube got 3 years of probation and 100 hours of community service plus she must write a letter of apology to the victim.

High School Musical’s Zac Efron got a stocking full of condoms for Christmas last year.

20% of teens have sent nude pictures of themselves electronically.

Kids who wear alcohol-branded merchandise are 1.5 times more likely to start drinking and binge drink than kids who don’t.

Kids who watch television more than 2 hours a day have twice the risk of developing asthma.

Mattel is creating a new tween Dora doll. She is thin, has long hair and moving to NYC.

Post from: Blisstree

Sunday Reading

We discussed how it may seem like a fun and harmless thing to do. Teens are trying to explore their sexuality. They are also trying to act grown up. And their hormones are raging. They are getting mixed messages from school, home and the media. Parents and school are trying to teach abstinence, but the media is forcing sexual messages down their throats. So sending naked pictures to a boyfriend/girlfriend seems like a very grown up and acceptable thing to do.

But sexting is often very harmful.

(1) Teens could be charged with possessing and/or sending child pornography…even though the picture is of themselves. If they are under 18 some law enforcement agencies are charging teens with child pornography in sexting cases. So teens need to understand the consequences and hopefully not get caught up in it.

(2) Teen relationships usually don’t last very long and often end badly. Sending a semi-naked photo of yourself to the current love of your life may be fun and playful today. But it could be an embarrassing mistake in a month. If the relationship ends badly may send out that photo just to embarrass you.

(3) The picture may accidentally get in to the wrong hands. I can’t tell you how many times I have accidentally texted somebody because I fat fingered the number. Or maybe the boyfriend wants to show off and sends the photo to just his best friend and tells him to keep it to himself, but the best friend doesn’t listen. Or maybe she leaves her phone unattended, somebody else goes snooping and send the photo out. Any number of things could happen that end up with your naked picture on the phone of everybody in the graduating class.

Teens think sexting is funny. And maybe even a little bit naughty. But it truly can ruin lives. A beautiful girl in Cincinnati took her own life because of the embarrassment and subsequent bullying after her nude photo spread throughout the school. What she thought was an innocent picture to her boyfriend turned out to be a very scary and heartbreaking experience for herself and her family. People she didn’t even know started harassing her at school, on the internet and even texting her messages on her cell phone. Don’t let this be your teen.

Post from: Blisstree

Educate Teens About Sexting

Speaking of gift ideas, the National Institute on Media and the Family has a 2008 MediaWise Video Game Buying Guide including a list of great games for kids.

Melisa’s son experienced his first lockdown at his high school. How scary!

Teens prefer Gmail for their email needs, but texting is still their favorite form of communication.

Kids are actually learning life lessons by sending all those text messages.

But there are definitely some downsides of texting, including swollen thumbs, big bills, and sexting.

Flirting has gone high tech with about 20% of teens sending naked or semi-naked pictures of themselves via text message or posting them on the internet.

Expert says teens shouldn’t have cameras on their cell phones to curb sexting. Do they still make cell phones without cameras?

Dating 2.0 where cell phones play a big part in today’s relationships (aside from sexting).

There’s a new device to help protect our teen drivers; a car key that prevents them from being able to make a call or text while driving.

Too much TV can cause behavioral problems.

Teen smoking and alcohol use is declining, but the recent decrease in marijuana use has halted and prescription drug abuse is still a big concern.

Teens have gone past cutting and our now inserting objects in to their bodies.

Nearly 1 in 5 young American adults has a personality disorder. How do you know if it’s regular teen attitude or something more?

Teens are starting to feel the recession crunch.

Some college students are coming home for winter break to find their parents can’t afford to send them back for the spring term.

Is the recession a good thing for Gen Y?

Today’s teens are lying, stealing, and cheating. And they aren’t even ashamed of it.

Here’s 10 tips for your teen test taker.

Warner Bros is pushing a music tax to universities to allow file sharing without prosecution.

College students are choosing Time over Cosmo and want to be more informed.

Is Gen Y Too Soft to Be Entrepreneurs?

Schools are curbing teasing, but there are benefits to a little harmless teasing.

Pro-skater isn’t pushing her kids in to sports. Instead she wants them to enjoy many activities during their youth.

Char created a template for a printable training journal for girls. Very cool!

Exercise may help obese kids control their anger.

Is obesity genetic?

Post from: Blisstree

Sunday Reading

When you ask how school was, what response do you get from your teen? If your teen is like most teens you get “fine.” But Vanessa Van Petten has some great conversation starters to get teens talking.

Disney is showing full-length movies on their website…for limited times. Finding Nemo ended on Friday, but you can now watch Monsters Inc. through the 20th.

Does your teen like to cook? He/She could be on Top Chef Jr., a new version of the popular reality show Top Chef. Only this ones for teens ages 13 to 17.

Today’s teens are looking for uniqueness and individuality with their fashions rather than sticking to old stereotypes.

Two children, ages 12 and 13, have been sent to treatment for cell phone addiction. Is your child’s cell phone causing problems in his/her life?

New laws about texting or talking on cell phones while driving are hard to enforce, but parent’s are still a big influence on kids. Make sure you make it clear your teen is to pull over when he/she gets a phone call. Make sure they know the dangers and they know the consequences.

Is your teen sexting; sending naked pictures of themselves to friends and talking to dirty to members of the opposite sex?

Parents are using new technologies to keep in touch with their kids. Experts say parents will have better luck keeping in touch if they learn to use some of the same tools employed by their offspring; including texting.

Need help understanding the teen brain? The Partnership for a Drug-free America has A Parent’s Guide To The Teen Brain.

A judge in Florida made some kids apologize on YouTube when they posted video of a prank on the video sharing website. The judge, prosecutor and defense attorneys who devised this punishment hope it will serve as a deterrent.

Two mothers were arrested after participating in sex acts with a minors at a teenage party at one of the women’s homes. Do you know (and trust) the parents who are hosting the parties your kids are attending?

We’ve heard the stories about the boy who died from “dry drowning,” but do you know what signs to look for to determine if your child has water in his lungs?

The Wall Street Journal has a list of 26 college commencement speeches by some of today’s most famous people.

Rob Stafford shares five things students should know before they begin college.

Post from: Blisstree

Sunday Reading