Building a Girl’s Self-image

Posted on: 12/4/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Yesterday my 16-year-old daughter Ashley was lying in front of the fireplace doing homework. Not knowing her mother and I were both gazing at her, she lightly brushed her hair aside with her forefinger.

Her mom couldn’t resist. “Ashley, you are beautiful.”

Ashley looked up at her with skepticism and chuckled. “Yeah… right!”

Sadly, in a world bombarded with unattainable images of what beauty should be, I don’t know many teen girls who truly think they’re beautiful.

Why is beauty the one characteristic that seems to trump all others? How about wisdom? How about integrity?

As a father of two teenaged daughters, and a guy who keeps up on youth culture for his job, I’m always on the lookout for good advice about raising confident kids. This year I fell upon Continue reading “Building a Girl’s Self-image”

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A Heart for the Unnoticed

Posted on: 11/20/13 10:43 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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The-Way-Way-BackDo you notice that kid who seems to disappear under the radar?

In the shadow of a tragic teen suicide, and a weekend training youth workers to notice and connect with teenagers, I was pleasantly surprised by a film that, interestingly enough, has also slipped under the radar. This movie tugged at my heart for young people in a unique way and is no doubt the best film I’ve seen in literally years now.

The 2013 gem of a film is titled The Way Way Back, with Steve Carell, Sam Rockwell, Maya Rudolph and Toni Collette, to name a few. This brilliantly written story introduces an awkwardly shy 14-year-old teen named Duncan whose single mom (Collette) has started dating an unfortunate choice in a boyfriend (Carell). The mismatched bunch go on summer vacation to a beach cabin where Duncan tries his best to escape each day. Duncan finds community in an unlikely place, the Water Wiz Water Park managed by Owen, a free spirited man who befriends Duncan.

This film captured the essence of parenting and youth ministry, specifically three elements Continue reading “A Heart for the Unnoticed”

Posted in Bullying/Cyberbullying, Entertainment Media, Family, Marriage, Movies, Parenting, Self Image, Youth Culture |  | Leave A Comment

Dad, Can I Download Katy Perry’s New Album?

Posted on: 11/13/13 11:14 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Katy-Perry-PrismKaty Perry’s new album Prism has been out for just a couple weeks, and it already landed a number one spot on the Billboard charts. But this doesn’t seem to be the same Katy Perry we once knew. What can we expect from this new album? Or more specifically… what kind of guidance can we offer our kids who want to download it?

Without a doubt, whenever someone purchases my book, Candid Confessions of An Imperfect Parent at one of my parent workshops, I always see them turn straight to Chapter 6: Dad, Can I Download This Song? Parents are looking for ways to help our kids make good media decisions Continue reading “Dad, Can I Download Katy Perry’s New Album?”

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Only If You Get Caught

Posted on: 11/6/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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GTA5I received some interesting emails and comments in response to my How to Kill a Hooker blog post a couple weeks ago. The post was about the new wildly popular, violent and sexually charged video game Grant Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5).

Here’s a response from a gamer named Anthony who shared some intriguing insight from the perspective of someone who has played the game. Anthony tried something unusual. He tried to play GTA 5 and “obey all the rules.” The results were Continue reading “Only If You Get Caught”

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Happy Slutty Halloween

Posted on: 10/28/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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mean-girls-Halloween-slut“In the real world, Halloween is when kids dress up in costumes and beg for candy. In Girl World, Halloween is the one day a year when a girl can dress up like a total slut and no other girls can say anything else about it.”   -Cady, Mean Girls

Maybe it’s because I’ve been on shopping excursions with my two teenage girls…

Maybe it’s because I know America’s growing obsession with sex in entertainment, like so many movies this fall…

Maybe it’s because I’ve read this entire report from the American Psychological Association (APA) about the negative effects of the “sexualization” of our young girls… Continue reading “Happy Slutty Halloween”

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How to Kill a Hooker

Posted on: 10/8/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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Hey kids, it’s that time again! Grand Theft Auto just released their brand new game, Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTA 5). The game broke all the records, raking in literally a billion dollars in the first three days. It’s the hottest thing on the shelf right now for young gamers… oh… and it teaches you how to kill a hooker.

In a country where over 90 percent of young people between the ages 2 and 17 are playing video games, this is pretty concerning. In fact, there are so many Continue reading “How to Kill a Hooker”

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Teen Social Media Hookup Culture Unveiled

Posted on: 10/3/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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My Twitter followers saw me link an article Tuesday morning I described as the most accurate article I’ve ever read about today’s social media hookup culture. It’s a day later, and I stand my ground.

Don’t misinterpret my words: I’m not saying the activities described in this article are what every kid is doing “on Facebook” (Omegle? Probably so), but I would say that I observe the ripple effect from this subculture rocking Continue reading “Teen Social Media Hookup Culture Unveiled”

Posted in Internet, Parenting, Self Image, Sexuality, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Social Media, Youth Culture |  | Leave A Comment

SnapChat and the Ostrich Parent

Posted on: 09/5/13 3:27 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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You’d think the recent news about SnapChat would be enough to finally convince parents to step in and hit the DELETE button, right?

So why is it 74 percent of parents are simply sticking their heads in the sand and just “hoping for the best”?

Most of us already knew this popular mobile app SnapChat was dangerous for young people. If you read my warnings about the app long ago, then you realized it was not only a convenient little tool for sexting, but it also provided teenagers with a false sense of “lack of accountability.” The pictures “vanish”… don’t they?

A recent lawsuit amongst the SnapChat creators has revealed Continue reading “SnapChat and the Ostrich Parent”

Posted in Entertainment Media, Internet, Jonathan's Rant, Parenting, Sexuality, Smartphones/Cell Phones, Social Media, Youth Culture |  | Leave A Comment

The VMAs: Insight into Our Kids Music

Posted on: 08/28/13 3:01 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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What music videos are most teens watching?

What songs fill your teens’ music library in that device in their pocket?

Which artists are the biggest role models for young people today?

What truths are your teens gleaning from these heroes?

The VMAs answered these questions with a megaphone on Sunday night, and surprisingly… people were actually surprised with the answers. Funny. The event wasn’t surprising in the least. It was typical Lady Gaga, typical Miley Cyrus, typical Justin Timberlake, Typical Bruno Mars… typical MTV.

Sad that “typical” is often confused with “no big deal.”

So what can we take away from cable’s #1 entertainment telecast of 2013 among young people age 12-34? Glad you asked.

Here’s our Youth Culture Window article unveiling what millions of young people gleaned from this eccentric and aberrant pop culture jamboree this year.

CLICK HERE FOR THIS ARTICLE:
THE CULTURE BEHIND THE MUSIC

Posted in Entertainment Media, Music, Parenting, Sexuality, Smartphones/Cell Phones, TV, Youth Culture |  | Leave A Comment

Parenting 17-year-olds like 18-year-olds

Posted on: 08/21/13 3:32 AM | by Jonathan McKee

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The last 6 months I’ve been conducting a little experiment; but, instead of using rats… I used my daughter.

No, I didn’t cage her, send her through a maze and reward her with pellets. I did something a little more drastic in most conservative parenting circles: I freed her from all rules and restrictions at age 17½.

Some of our friends thought we were nuts, and at times… we wondered. But we refrained from retightening our grip.

This week my daughter turned 18, and Continue reading “Parenting 17-year-olds like 18-year-olds”

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