Calvin Klein Billboard - How Do We Stop It?

By now many of you have seen or heard about the provocative Calvin Klein billboard that is in New York. The one with 3 boys and 1 girl (all appear to be late teens, maybe early 20's)...engaging in...well...PDA. PDA=Public Display of Affection. No, I will not be posting the picture here.

In this case it is PDA gone way-over-board.

Yes, most of us over 40 remember the Brooke Shields commercial of yesteryear when she says "You want to know what comes between me and my Calvins? Nothing." It was cutting edge cute at the time. Today it would be quite tame.

There is particular outrage amongst Mothers...both those who see it in person, and those of us on the Internet. In this world of trying to protect our children, especially our daughters, we are disgusted by this "promotion" of sex...add to that the connotation of sex with multiple partners.

So what can we do about it?

First off...if your kids have seen the billboard in any way, talk to them about it. Hopefully they will find it as inappropriate as you do. Keep in mind the age of your child when getting into detail. The younger they are, the more general you should be.

Second...call Calvin Klein. That's right...tell them how you really feel. 1-866-513-0513

Third...stop buying Calvin Klein. I've now heard of Father's Day gifts being returned, because they were a Calvin Klein branded item. I've also heard others say they are no longer buying CK items at all.

Fourth...let's ask ourselves why our society is driven to think that this kind of advertising is OK, and why do advertisers think this is what we want to see to entice us to buy their brand?

And finally...let's hope our children grow up and change the face of this kind of advertising for future generations.

Daughter takes a stand over plagiarism

As you may, or may not, know...we have taught our kids to stand up for themselves, and for what is right. When they were younger we had to do much of this for them, but slowly began to have them help, and gradually learn how to do it on their own.

Yesterday I received a call from one of our daughters that she had to meet with a teacher after school. She had planned to stay after anyway, but because of this last minute meeting she was unable to do the strength & endurance training session. Ok, so far I'm on board, but I'm wondering why this meeting was so important.

She had to do a group project for this class. Now I don't know about you or your kids, but all 3 of ours HATE 99% of group projects. Because our kids do their very best, others in their group assume they can slack off. Or they are just natural slackers to begin with. Either way it is very annoying and disruptive. I knew about this project that was started this week, and knew my daughter was doing her fair share of the work, without being taken advantage of. The last night, 2 of the 4 girls were supposed to put the final paper together. At the beginning of class yesterday our daughter decides to look at the final paper before it is handed in. The girls didn't use much of her notes, but instead used sentences from the book...word for word! Plagiarism at it's best! Our daughter was immediately alarmed and spoke with the teacher briefly, & then set up the meeting. He thought her coming forward was brave, and earned even more respect from him. She even told him that she would rather take the chance of a lower grade, then be accused of plagiarism.

We've had the discussion on plagiarism with our children repeatedly. It started in Elementary school. These kids are Sophomores in High School. One of these girls has gotten caught by this teacher for plagiarism earlier in the year. What is she thinking??? In college they will kick you out if you are caught for plagairism! I honestly hope these 2 girls are given severe penalties.

I'm very proud our daughter stood up for herself, and what is right :-)

Advocate

YOU are your child's best Advocate...until they become their own

One of the hardest things for many kids to learn, is how to be an advocate for themselves. Heck, many parents aren't comfortable being the child's first and strongest advocate. But you HAVE to!

Just as with picking your battles with your children, you must do so when being your child's advocate. One of the most important areas is school. If at anytime you feel something is not "right", or if your child complains to you to the point that you know it really bothers them, speak up.

Discuss the issue first with your child. A valuable tip is to not always assume your child is telling you the whole story. Yes, we all want to think our children are perfect. Reality check...they're not ;-) Ask lots of questions. Give ideas of why the situation is what it is.

If you still feel something isn't right, contact the appropriate person at the school. Remember to be polite, but firm. Let them know you may not have all the facts but you want to know all the facts so the situation can get resolved.

Stay on top of it until it is resolved, and always thank the school official(s) who helped get it resolved. Be a good example to your children on staying calm, achieving good communication with them and the school, and following thru. Over time they will take on these responsibilities themselves. Yes, you may need to intervene, or support them, but that's ok :-)