Utah Coalition Against Pornography Conference - I am Getting Educated

Fight the New Drug

I am getting educated
I was fortunate to be able to spend the day becoming a more proactive and informed parent at the Utah Coalition Against Pornography Conference today. 



Beyond Filtering
I have always advocated filtering, but there is so much more that we can do to protect our families. Our children need to know what our values are and they need to understand why Pornography is dangerous. 

My Favorite Speakers
I listened to 4 speakers and one of my favorites was Clay Olsen of Fight the New Drug. And the medical geek hiding in me enjoyed the lecture by Dr. Donald Hilton. He talked about Neuroplasticity and it's relationship to pornography. Wow, I loved learning about brain function. I also heard Jill C. Manning Ph.D talk about our family media habits. 

Great Resources are available
Over all I left feeling encouraged that this is something we can fight against as a community.   I you hope you'll check out Fight the New Drug. I challenge you to talk to another person about it the dangers. If we talk about this we can spread the word about why pornography is harmful to society.
                                  
Where do I start? 
Teach your children about your values, and don't stop there. Teach them why Porn is so dangerous. If they understand the science they are more likely to decide for themselves that Porn is dangerous. We can empower ourselves and our children through knowledge.  And don't worry you don't need to be a science geek to teach the science. 

When do I start? 
Ask your children questions about what they know.  Have lots of little conversations about this topic along the way.  Be gentle and careful to nurture a loving relationship with your children.  Working to open the door to communication is important.  They need your support.

Be their ally. 
Kids need parents in their corner who will not just talk to them, but listen to their thoughts about this issue.  You may feel squeamish about talking to them, but gather courage.  We must teach them about this topic.  The pornography industry never sleeps and puts a lot of effort into reaching them from an early age.  If you do not teach them, the industry will.
This is a challenge that we face in our society today. 

But, we are up for the challenge.