How to Talk To Your Children About Rihanna And Chris Brown

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By SchoolOfLife
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Rihanna: A Role Model?

With all of the recent press coverage involving Rihanna and Chris Brown, questions are inevitable, and as parents and educators, we need to take these questions as an opportunity to educate our children, instead of something to fear. This article discusses how to speak to your children about violence and domestic abuse.

Difficulty: Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

a child
patience
this article

Step 1

Listen to what children have to say, in order to gain their perspective of the situation. They may know more or less than you originally thought they did; and if you know what they're thinking, you will already know where to begin your conversation. It may be worth mentioning that the media can spin news to suit their agenda, and not everything that they read about is accurate.
Step 2

Let the children know that there is no excuse for violence or hurting anyone. There is a lot of speculation about who "started" the alleged fight, and what role Rihanna played in the disagreement. It should be made clear to children that handling any disagreement with violence is completely unacceptable, no matter who may have "started" it. You might want to use scenarios that use examples of non violent de-escalation to drive home this point.
Step 3

Rihanna and Chris Brown are role models for children, whether they want to be or not. Discuss with children what constitutes a positive role model, and a negative role model, and allow them to form their own conclusions about what type of role model they wish to emulate. You can also discuss how the violence may have changed people's perspectives on what type of role models these celebrities are.
Step 4

Encourage open communication and ask plenty of questions, even if the children are not seeing things from the point of view that you hope they will. Open communication ensures that they are still open to new ideas and can listen. Explain how children can seek help if they witness domestic violence at home, or outside of the home. Teach children that there are options available to ensure safety, as opposed to going back to a violent or turbulent relationship.
Step 5

Consider signing a petition regarding Chris Brown and Rihanna's nomination on the Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Awards. The petition is located at: http://www.petitiononline.com/cbrh1968/petition.html

Comments

ceholmes said

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on 7/13/2009 Excellent points! i very much agree with talking to your child about abuse in relationships. They need to know violence is acceptable never and that there is always a solution to getting out of an abusive relationship. Love your topics and articles, 5* and recom!