TALKING POINTS

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There’s nothing like a bit of controversy and current events to kickstart constructive conversation. Seize the day and get talking with your kids about these recent news stories…

As A Teenage Girl, I’m Worried Schools Aren’t Taking Sex Education Seriously | HuffPost UK, 3/9/20

“From sexual comments about my body to being followed by cars, my journey to secondary school has never felt safe. I was 11 the first time I faced sexual harassment. I felt confused and ashamed, wondering if it was my fault for wearing shorts that day. I wish that I had been taught about consent and victim-blaming before this happened”

TALKING POINT Do you or girls you know experience these things? Read the article>

Kids’ masks branded “sexist” as girl given pink kisses by school but brother gets blue | Mirror, 5/9/20

A mother in Canada tweeted that her 8-year-old was “annoyed” with her school’s face masks: “Twitter user Jade wrote: ‘I’m not down with how the lips/kisses could be used against girls.’ Other parents said their sons preferred pink and one chose a unicorn print. The government said the masks were not ‘not fashion statements or political agendas’”

TALKING POINT Do you agree with the government’s viewpoint? Read the article >

Mum’s plea for parents to stop tickling their kids stirs debate | Yahoo News Australia, 12/9/20

“On Facebook a mum said parents should ask for their child’s consent before tickling them, adding: ‘Stop when they ask you to. It’s about consent and you are teaching them their body, their rules. It’s easy and causes no harm. Why wouldn’t you?’ The message divided opinion. One person wrote: ‘We argue about tickling now? 2020 is the worst’”

TALKING POINT What’s your feeling about tickling & being tickled? Read the article >

Teaching Boys How To Break Toxic Masculinity With Craig Pomranz | Moms.com, 5/9/20

“I wrote Made By Raffi, about a boy who loves knitting, because my godson said kids at school were noisy, aggressive and loved sports, and he felt ‘different’. He asked if there was such a thing as a tomgirl. We all are socialised to know that it is OK for a girl to enter into the male arena, but when a boy tries anything ‘feminine’ it is unacceptable”

TALKING POINT Are boys limited in what they can choose? Read the article >

People are sharing when they realised they are LGBTQ+ to make a very powerful point | indy100, 8/9/20

“The charity Stonewall started the #IFirstKnewIWasLGBTQ hashtag because 45% of LGBT+ kids are bullied and to ‘remind the world that LGBTQ children and young people exist at all ages. We wanted people to share their personal stories so we could show that there isn’t just one way or a “right” way to figure out who you are’”

TALKING POINT Is it OK to be open & expressive at your school? Read the article >

And finally: to discuss…

Davina McCall “didn’t wax pubic hair” so her children “didn’t think they were disgusting” during puberty | Metro, 10/9/20

“Even down to waxing my privates, when my children were going through puberty and therefore their bodies were changing, I kept everything there bar, like, a bikini wax, just to show them what they had was normal, because Mummy’s got it too.

Obviously now they can do what they like, they’re 16 and 18, but when they were little – 12, 13, 14 – I didn’t want them thinking they were disgusting because they had pubes.

We talked about the reality of what boys expect in a girl’s body and what girls’ bodies actually look like”