Harley Quinn, Marla Singer, & Romona Flowers all rolled into one. I'm a Mother & a friend, an open book, A Lover, Fighter, Believer, & Overall nice person... San Diego, Ca Born & Raised, Closet artist, Foodie, Sims Nerd, Google Junkie, Wannabe Yogi, Avid Anime watcher, Natural Hair, Pothead, Dreamer, Serial Lover... Enjoy, This is me.
I had to explain to a 16 year old girl yesterday why 21+ year old men target minors to have dating/sexual relationships with. and why she shouldn’t think it’s normal, healthy behavior.
she threw the phrases “age ain’t nothing but a number” and “love is love” out to me, and I had to deconstruct and redefine both those phrases to her so she better understands what they really mean.
with that being said, let’s be mindful of what we say to the youth because as “mature for their age” as they seem, they still don’t possess the full cognitive capability to assess everything they take in.
They fully do posses the capacity to assess everything they take in. They don’t have the past experiences to put them into context. Someone can tell you information over and over again, but if you don’t understand the course of that information and have never experienced it, the information is worthless.
Maybe instead of thinking teenagers can’t asses things you treat them like human beings and appropriately explain why it’s predatory for a 21 year old to be seeking out minors/barely legal girls.
🙂🙂🙂
I literally work with kids/teens for a living. I talk to them at their level of understanding, but in a respectable manner. I make everything relevant to them and their experiences.
I did explain to them appropriately why it’s predatory behaviors. You expected to type the whole conversation I’ve had on here with them? Or did you just assume I was and you woke up ready to combat someone’s post online today?
To your tags: She did listen to me. I did treat her with respect. I wasn’t condescending to her, or any of the youth I work with.
Teenagers, as smart as most of them are, are in very crucial development stages in their lives. Not only physically, but mentally. Fully mature brain development, for most people, doesn’t happen until their mid 20s. Teenagers, especially in this day and age, deal with a lot of peer pressure with trying to fit in, be popular, or simply being different. There’s pressure from family, friends, and media to the point where they can’t escape it. So while trying to grow and find themselves, they’re being influenced by so many people and platforms they can’t control whether they want to admit it, or not. So, my point still stands, teens don’t have the full cognitive ability to take and assess everything being thrown at them at this crucial part in their lives.
