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“96% of teenage relationships DO NOT end up in marriage”

Are you surprised? I remember being a teenager and thinking that every guy I dated was “the one”. He was going to be the guy that was going to sweep me off my feet, that was going to rescue me.

I recently asked a group of teenagers where they learned about dating and relationships. Quickly I heard, “my parents, my family, my aunt, my older brother.”

One young girl, in her wisdom-beyond-her-years answered, “Disney.”

Disney has infiltrated our young girls minds and given them false ideas of what relationships really are about. Cinderella is looking to be rescued from her horrible life (which must be why she was my favorite). Snow white got tired of living with the dwarfs, sleeping beauty needed a man to bring her back to life, even the modern-day tales like Enchanted are about finding true loves kiss.

In and of themselves, they seem harmless. But partnered with 16 and Pregnant, the ridiculousness of Jersey Shore and the Kardashians–not to mention the Real Housewives–honey those Housewives are anything but real–Disney, BRAVO, E!, and every other TV channel is doing a grave disservice to our youth. While attempting to entertain, they are subliminally teaching our kids about relationships.

Beyond dating and marriage, our kids and youth have no idea what it means to be in relationships. They don’t know what it means to resolve conflict, in fact they would sooner forfeit a friendship then work through issues. They are almost incapable of enjoying their highschool years, living in constant fear of not being able to have a boy/girlfriend.

If the media is teaching them everything wrong about relationships–and kids spend approximately 5 hours a day in front of the TV, (time spent 2nd to sleeping)–and you might take your kids to church three times a month (so that gives them maybe 3 hours a month of Biblical teaching)..who is teaching your kids? Are you?

Are you modeling healthy relationships for your kids?
Are you talking to them about Boundaries?
Are you starting discussions about peer pressure, including the pressure to be sexually active?
Are you over protecting your children REFUSING to talk about the realties of opposite sex relationships out of fear you may do more harm than good?

Reality check–kids are influenced, and have questions…if you aren’t going to talk to them, who will?

Not Disney!