Teens and Sexting, Parents and Sexting

Jenny from Three Kid Circus on Teens and Sexting, Parents and Sexting

Do As I Say, Not As I Do
October 20, 2010 9:00 am by Jenny Lauck

This is sponsored content from BlogHer and LG Text Ed

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A few weeks back, I dropped my iPhone for the 900th time and finally killed it.  Of course, trying to purchase a replacement phone in Silicon Valley on a same-day basis was unthinkable, and instead, I brought home a temporary phone - an olde skool flip-phone with very basic features.

 To me, it was a temporary jail sentence.  To my 11-year-old daughter, it represented The Future. 

 "Mom, when you are done with the phone, can I have it?"  she asked. 

 "Uh, why do you need a cell phone?" 

 "So, I can text with my friends!  And take funny photos to send to people!" 

 Yeah.  I'm not sure that's a good idea.   Especially after I saw her cock her hip to the side and hold the phone aloft to take an overhead, profile-style self-portrait.

 See, as a parent, I'm not always the best example for my kids.  I cuss in front of them on occasion, goose my husband in the buns when he walks through the front door, and don't always demonstrate mature, responsible behavior with my cell-phone.

 In fact, when I call my husband, a close-up shot of my cleavage appears on his cell-phone, a shot that my kids saw me jokingly taking.  We've had some risque conversations via text and face-time chat, albeit not THAT risque, and not in front of the kids.

 My 11-year old is quite web-savvy, and we've done a lot of talking (and double-checking) about web safety and common sense behavior both online and off.  We control her internet access and review her activities with her, and I've explained that while I trust her to do the right thing online, I also don't expect her to know what the right thing is in any given situation, which is why we are actively involved in her online life, with her full knowledge and permission.

 Hey, it's one of the benefits of being a mommyblogger - she assumes I'm all-knowing and all-seeing on the internet. 

But with a cell-phone, the element of "mom could be looking over my shoulder" is lessened. While I plan on spending a lot of time talking about all the possible repercussions of sexting and sharing inappropriate images, I am aware that I haven't set the best example.

Do I have to clean up my own act in order to set a better example for my kids?  Does a slightly raunchy text between two old married people even count as sexting? 

 How do you start the sexting conversation with your kids?

Each comment left on this post benefits DoSomething.org with a $0.50 donation!

Visit LG Text Ed , where Dr. Rosalind Wiseman explains the dangers and consequences of this new form of flirting. You can also watch Emmy award winning actress Jane Lynch share a lesson on the sensitive stuff kids are sending around without thinking about the consequences.   

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