I hate watching sports … but I LOVE stories about sports. The minutiae about how any particular game is played is usually lost on me. For me, going to a live sporting event is about the spectacle, not the stats or the rules. But give me a documentary, movie, book, magazine article, or TV…Continue reading Guam: When ordinary people do extraordinary things
From CNN: A great list of acronyms that teens use to keep their attentive parents “in the dark” about the subject matter of their texts, internet exchanges, and social media posts. A great read for any parent who understands the importance of keeping tabs on their children’s online lives. Note: Since these acronyms are being picked…Continue reading 28 Texting and Internet acronyms every parent should know
** UPDATE: The folks at the Register have fixed the problem. Not just for me (the squeaky wheel) but for the whole neighborhood. Insert Happy Dance *** It had all of the signs of a romance in doom. First, there was The Rush: Despite cutbacks and layoffs and closures at other newspapers across the…Continue reading The OC Register: He’s just not that into me anymore
If I were Bill Cosby, I wouldn’t tweet thank yous to Jill Scott and Whoopi Goldberg. I’d be visiting Sacramento and planting a great big kiss on the lips of California Governor Jerry Brown. Why? Because Jerry Brown vetoed a bill that would have given civil rights to Cosby’s alleged victims who were under the age…Continue reading Bill Cosby, Jerry Brown, and a lawsuit
Amy Berg’s new documentary “An Open Secret” recently had its first (and probably only) public screening. Roger Freedman, writing for Showbiz411 had an honest and evocative review. But it was this paragraph that caught my eye: Ryan’s parents are devastated, as are all the parents. But none of them explain how their sons could be lured…Continue reading What if the parents had no clue?
It’s time to find a new district and consider class action. The Los Angeles Unified School District recently argued that a 14-year-old middle school student can legally consent to sex with an adult teacher. Because of the way that the civil law evolved through previous court decisions, the LAUSD won the argument, but lost a public…Continue reading When your district says it’s okay for teachers and kids to have sex …
The celebrity nude photo “scandal” is old news these days. But in case you missed it: dozens of celebrities’ iCloud accounts were hacked and nude photos in those accounts were stolen and published on various internet sites. Hacking is a crime, and having your privacy violated in such a personal way can be devastating to…Continue reading Celebrity nude photos and … your teenager
The Internet puts the world at your child’s fingertips. With a few clicks of a keyboard, the swipe of a phone, or the tap of a iPod or tablet, your child can bring the beauty of the world to the palm of her hand. Unfortunately, this same power allows your child to invite predators directly into…Continue reading Internet Safety: Five tips for parents
Hollywood couldn’t have written a better plot: an all-American man plays a respected pastor and father of seven. Add in good looks and charm, and you’ve got the makings of a beloved television character. And the perfect cover for a predator. Stephen Collins, who played Eric Camden, the dad/pastor on the long-running TV series 7th…Continue reading Predators in Pretty Packages: Five lessons for parents from the Stephen Collins case
UPDATE: Grisham apologized. Looks like he finally read the memo. And he got people talking …. Child pornography is criminal for a reason: It’s gross, vile, and extremely damaging to the children who were exploited. But someone didn’t get the memo. John Grisham (yes, THAT John Grisham) said recently in an interview that men who…Continue reading John Grisham and the “I was just looking” argument
With the recent news about 7th Heaven star Stephen Collins, everyone is talking a little bit more than usual about child sexual abuse. As the Collins story is unveiled and we learn more details, chances are that many adult victims of child sexual abuse—victims who were too scared or ashamed to come forward earlier—may confide in you or…Continue reading What do you do when a friend says, “I was abused as a child”
In case you were wondering who Jerry Brown REALLY wants to protect: Yesterday, Brown vetoed SB 924, a bill which would have given victims of child sexual abuse until age 40 to file civil lawsuits against organizations that cover up and abet child sexual abuse. The bill was entirely prospective, meaning that it would only…Continue reading Jerry Brown vetoes victims’ civil rights bill
Journalist and blogger Heather Mundt and I discuss: A Back-to-School Rule for Kids: Trust Your Gut, 5 Guidelines to Help Kids Self-Protect
A very good friend of mine pointed me to a recent review of Eimear McBride’ novel A GIRL IS A HALF-FORMED THING. The author of the review, Paige Reynolds, includes this very intuitive and honest description of some of the reasons why the sexual abuse of teens can be so damaging: The novel thus showcases the…Continue reading A novel peek into the “convoluted world” of grooming
Slut-shaming, fat-shaming, victim-shaming, political shaming … we are a society in love with shame. And our children pay the price. Note: Guilt is the nasty and usually appropriate feeling people have when they have DONE something bad. Shame is the nasty and usually inappropriate feeling people have when they believe that they ARE bad. In cases of slut-,…Continue reading We need to end our love-affair with shame
Upcoming speakers will include experts on Bullying Prevention, Child Sex Abuse Awareness and Prevention (read: me), and Substance Abuse The event is free and open to the public. Hope to see you there.
It’s that time of year again. You’ve made the rounds to the local big box and office supply stores. You have scoured every children’s clothing section in a 20-mile radius for “fashion-forward”—yet “tastefully modest”—school wear. You have soccer snacks, cleats, football gear, cheer uniforms and a brand new lunch box. But there is one more…Continue reading A back-to-school “Must Have” that can save your child from abuse
Child protection officials in Rotherham, England are facing worldwide scorn for saying that they did not report the sexual abuse of 1400 children because they feared being branded “racists.” The child victims were horrifically molested and trafficked by men of Pakistani descent over a 16-year period. At the time, government officials knew about approximately a…Continue reading Rotherdam: Cowardice must never be an option
My op-ed in today’s Lafayette Advertiser: Releasing priests’ names a matter of public safety
A couple of things struck me about the recently released clergy file of St. Paul and Minneapolis Archdiocese priest Thomas Stitts. I saved the best for last, so be sure to read to the end. There is the 1985 “mystery letter.” The letter, which became known around the time of Stitts’ death, allegedly “named names” of scandalous…Continue reading Thomas Stitts and the 40-year Minnesota “memory loss”
