Miley’s VMA Reprise

Posted on: 08/24/15 7:35 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Miley-VMA-host-censoredThis coming Sunday night MTV will be exhausting all means necessary to garner one thing: ratings.

MTV has a history of stooping to new lows for ratings for their Video Music Awards show. This year’s new low will be Miley Cyrus hosting the show.

Yes, MTV exploiting Miley is nothing new. But this year they’ve been already pushing the envelope, utilizing Miley’s desperation for attention in their TV ads for the upcoming awards show. Maybe you’ve seen them: the topless ad (with little greenscreen dots covering the essentials), the “giving us the finger” ad, or the cloud of smoke adContinue reading “Miley’s VMA Reprise”

Our Empty Nest

Posted on: 08/19/15 5:45 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Ash and Lyssy VanguardThis Thursday Lori, Alyssa and I drive 500 miles and drop off Ashley, my youngest, at Vanguard University in SoCal (Alyssa and Ashley in the pic to the right). We’re so excited for her… but it’s weird to think about how quiet it’s gonna be around our house!

When Alec left for school four years ago our girls were still here. It was an adjustment, but it was still a busy house and full-on parenting mode. Then, come summer, a full nest again.

When Alyssa left for college it was a little more severe. Alyssa went to Continue reading “Our Empty Nest”

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What You Don’t Know about Teens

Posted on: 08/10/15 9:21 AM | by Jonathan McKee

girl-mom-fightI always find it interesting to compare articles and studies about today’s youth culture and look for common denominators.

Last week, Ypulse posted a noteworthy article about young people titled 5 Things You Don’t Know about Millennials and Teens. That article not only addressed the fact that 1/3 of the young people they surveyed have sexted and ¼ have had a one night stand, but also tackled subjects interesting to marketers like where young people eat (1/3 go to fast food on any given day), where they shop (the growth of online shopping), and how they communicate on their phones.

Earlier this summer, Download Youth Ministry released a ready-made parent newsletter package with 5 of my new “Parent Tips” articles, including one titled 5 Teen Trends That Aren’t Going Away Anytime Soon. Funny, in that article, I also touched on how young people communicate with each other, noting the Continue reading “What You Don’t Know about Teens”

PG Porn

Posted on: 08/4/15 10:23 AM | by Jonathan McKee

Selena Gomez PG PornLast week as I prepped to talk with parents about their kids’ phones, I browsed through the music video charts and noticed some interesting trends, especially from some of the “child actresses” our daughters grew up recently watching on TV—Demi Lovato and Selena Gomez. Their two music videos at the top of the charts are what I call PG Porn—extremely sensual visuals, with scantily clad girls writhing in pleasure… but with no official nudity driving the rating up. It’s the kind of video that drives a junior high boy to either click on something more severe… or to take a cold shower.

And what are these videos teaching our daughters? Continue reading “PG Porn”