Teens and Sexting, Parents and Sexting

Swistle on Teens and Sexting, Parents and Sexting

A Future-Anticipating Panic
October 20, 2010 9:00 am by Swistle

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My firstborn started sixth grade this year, which has sent me into a future-anticipating panic. I flit like a bumblebee from "What if I'm buying him clothes that will make him unpopular?" to "What if he gets teased so badly he Does Something Awful?" to "What if he's just one of those kids who is never going to fit in?" to "What if his grades aren't good enough for college?" to whole BOUQUETS of worries about EVERYTHING that could go wrong.

Which includes SEX and RELATIONSHIP worries. Fine, he's eleven years old, but eleven is sitting on the front steps of the Teenager Building. He'll be twelve in a few more months, and twelve is knocking on the door of the Teenager Building and calling out "Helloooooooo?"

I have what I would consider my primary fears for the next decade: (1) He'll get someone pregnant when such an event would plans-derailing; (2) He'll treat someone badly; (3) He'll choose someone bad for him.

And maybe more than the others: (4) He'll get involved in something I didn't even realize I was supposed to be talking to him about. Like sexting. I've HEARD of sexting, but I hadn't worried about it yet, and if you want HONESTY here, I wasn't completely clear on what it...IS. I had to look it up on Wikipedia to make sure I knew.

Rob doesn't have a cell phone. YET. Right now he doesn't need one, but as I understand it, pretty much all teenagers end up having them, is that right? And if I remember correctly from my teen years, SETTING rules for teens doesn't necessarily mean there is FOLLOWING of those rules, and therein lies the problem: How can I set rules AND ensure that they're followed?

One thing I've considered is whether I could give him a phone that would not be "his phone" but rather a family phone that anyone could use when they need to carry one along. This makes good sense for our family anyway: imagine if you will the cost of cell phone service for SEVEN cell phones.

This answers his complaint that he NEEDS a phone (by letting him take one to use when he needs it), but also allows us to keep better tabs on what the phone is being used for. And it sure would be awkward to have a friend send a sexy text message if your MOM might have the phone that day.

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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