Media Savvy Moms

Kids will explore their bodies. It's natural. Should we talk about masturbation with them? If so, when? Most parents just don't know how to begin. But ignoring the topic won't help our children. As parents, it's our job to help our kids make sense of even the trickiest topics, including masturbation and the danger of pairing it with pornography.

This episode is part of our #DearSavvy series. Sometimes you just want a quick answer to a burning question. These shorter episodes are designed to give you just that. Tune in to the podcast to hear the whole scoop, and check out the show notes for helpful tools and information. If you'd like to submit a question, click here to Contact Us.

Media Savvy Moms is a podcast by ParentsAware, an organization dedicated to helping parents talk to kids and teens about pornography and healthy sexuality. For complete show notes, visit http://parentsaware.info/index.php/podcast/.

Are the porn talk and the sex talk related? They should be! It's time to consider how media and porn culture are affecting our kids' sexual development. But first we have to see our kids as sexual beings. Say what? How in the world do we get there?

WARNING: This episode contains brief descriptions of sexually graphic content.

You've heard us say it a million times, but now we have a developmental psychologist and sex educator on the show to back us up: protecting our kids from pornography all comes back to the sex talk! Actually, ongoing sex talks (plural), as we like to say around here.

In this week's episode, Dr. Megan Maas joins us for a straightforward, no-holds-barred chat about educating our kids about healthy sexuality, pornography, and pleasure. And most importantly, recognizing and respecting them as sexual beings, which she admits, isn't the easiest thing in the world for parents to do. However, it's a must. After all, "at the end of the day, we want our kids to have healthy, satisfying sex—not dangerous, violent sex," she says. We have to agree!

Tune in to the show to hear Dr. Maas' amazing research, insights, and parenting tips on kids, porn, and the sex talk.

Megan Maas, PhD, is an assistant professor in Human Development & Family Studies. Her work sits at the intersection of sexual violence prevention and sexual health promotion. She received her PhD in 2016 from The Pennsylvania State University as a pre-doctoral fellow funded by the National Institutes of Health. Her award-winning research, recognized by the American Psychological Association, focuses on adolescent sexual socialization, with an emphasis on the bi-directional role that social media, sexting, and online pornography play in the development of attitudes and behavior related to sexuality and gender.

Media Savvy Moms is a podcast by ParentsAware, an organization dedicated to helping parents talk to kids and teens about pornography and healthy sexuality. For complete show notes, visit http://parentsaware.info/index.php/podcast/.

Parents everywhere are mourning the loss of "the most wonderful time of the year"—that sweet spot when our lives return to a predictable routine. (Or so we like to tell ourselves!) With COVID-19, the return to school looks different. Thousands of families have started out the year in virtual school—at home. As the weeks go on, they're discovering that it's anything but normal.

It doesn't seem to matter if we've got one child at home or multiple children, the consensus is the same. Virtual school is tough—mentally, physically, and emotionally—on everyone! Let's face it, school is more than just learning ABCs and 123s. It's about social interaction, movement, collaboration, school spirit, and more. And it feels impossible to simulate that experience sitting at a desk, at home, connecting through a screen.

Parents are understandably anxious. Never before has it been mandated that kids spend this much time in front of screens for learning. In fact, there are compelling arguments to say that less time with screens (even for educational purposes) the better. So what do we do? How do we make the best of the situation we're in? Today, we're sharing three main ideas for creating a safer, more successful, more joyful (okay, okay ... more tolerable) virtual school experience in your home.

• Acknowledge the downside of virtual school and highlight the benefits.
• Design your child's learning environment to promote screen safety and academic success.
• Plan your day in blocks. Decide together what kids can do after their online lessons.

Media Savvy Moms is a podcast by ParentsAware, an organization dedicated to helping parents talk to kids and teens about pornography and healthy sexuality. For complete show notes, visit http://parentsaware.info/index.php/podcast/.

Can you believe it? We're back to school and STILL stuck in this crazy pandemic. And like it or not, many kids are doing virtual school, at least part time. Some are 100% virtual. Are you panicking? Are you wondering … Is virtual school a safe environment for my kids?

This episode is part of our #DearSavvy series. Sometimes you just want a quick answer to a burning question. These shorter episodes are designed to give you just that. Tune in to the podcast to hear the whole scoop, and check out the show notes for helpful tools and information. If you'd like to submit a question, click here to Contact Us.

Media Savvy Moms is a podcast by ParentsAware, an organization dedicated to helping parents talk to kids and teens about pornography and healthy sexuality. For complete show notes, visit http://parentsaware.info/index.php/podcast/.

Does it feel like you need a degree in computer science just to keep up with your kids online? Do you hyperventilate everytime you think about their digital safety and what you might be missing? Well, what if there was an EASY way to make sense of routers, filters and parental controls? Would you want that? … Absolutely!

As is the case with so many things, digital safety is not as much about what you know as it is about WHO you know. And … do we know a guy! His name is Chris McKenna, founder of Protect Young Eyes, an organization dedicated to providing the best internet safety information for families. If you have a question about any tech device or app, chances are Chris and his team have already tested it dozens of times (like a curious kid) and have the answers you're looking for.

Chris' calendar is typically booked solid. So when he agreed to come on the show we literally jumped for joy! Not only does Chris know tech inside and out, but he's able to communicate his knowledge in a way that every parent can understand. After thirty minutes chatting with him, oh my goodness, we learned soooo much!!! Click the podcast player to listen in. We're confident that with Chris' help, everyone can feel more confident protecting their kids at the internet level. Here's what we cover in the show:

• You will always be your child's best parental control.
• Seeing your router as the gatekeeper to your home devices.
• How to choose the best tech solutions for your family.
• Getting things right at the device level (away from home solutions).

Media Savvy Moms is a podcast by ParentsAware, an organization dedicated to helping parents talk to kids and teens about pornography and healthy sexuality. For complete show notes, visit http://parentsaware.info/index.php/podcast/.

How much screen time is healthy? Ask extended family, friends, or the people next door, and chances are, recommendations will be all over the place. But what do the experts say? And what about COVID-19 and social isolation—when all our best-laid plans are falling to pieces?! Let's talk about it!

This episode is part of our #DearSavvy series. Sometimes you just want a quick answer to a burning question. These shorter episodes are designed to give you just that. Tune in to the podcast to hear the whole scoop, and check out the show notes for helpful tools and information. If you'd like to submit a question, click here to Contact Us.

Media Savvy Moms is a podcast by ParentsAware, an organization dedicated to helping parents talk to kids and teens about pornography and healthy sexuality. For complete show notes, visit http://parentsaware.info/index.php/podcast/.

We have a porn problem. To fix it we need to get it out in the open. Yes, we're getting better at acknowledging that porn targets kids. But we still talk in generalities. Like it's something that's out there. When in reality it's in here. It's in our homes. It's part of our kids' lives. And to help them we need to start talking to other parents about our real worries and concerns.

Wait! What? You're suggesting I tell someone if my child can't stop looking at porn? Won't that embarrass them or expose me to harsh criticism?

Ok. We're not suggesting you tell just anyone and everyone. But if your child is struggling with porn, there are good reasons to seek support outside your immediate family. To learn more, listen to this week's podcast. It's actually an archived conversation between our founder Marilyn and her sister Val. They each open up about their own experiences with kids and porn. And why telling someone else was one of the best things they did to help their kids on a path to healing and recovery.

Valerie Thomson is a mom of 8 and grandma to 8, with more on the way. She loves swimming, cycling, running, and hiking. When her kids were young, Val enjoyed homeschooling for many years. Today, some of her favorite moments include adventures with the grandkids. Val holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Western Ontario and coaches individuals in lifestyle medicine.

Media Savvy Moms is a podcast by ParentsAware, an organization dedicated to helping parents talk to kids and teens about pornography and healthy sexuality. For complete show notes, visit http://parentsaware.info/index.php/podcast/.

Kids are curious. And that's important. They learn and grow by exploring the world around them. But it can terrify us too. What if their curiosity leads to danger? So we give warnings and have protective conversations. We guide and direct them toward safe, healthy choices. And in our media-saturated world, that also means talking about porn and why it's harmful.

This episode is part of our #DearSavvy series. Sometimes you just want a quick answer to a burning question. These shorter episodes are designed to give you just that. Tune in to the podcast to hear the whole scoop, and check out the show notes for helpful tools and information. If you'd like to submit a question, click here to Contact Us.

Media Savvy Moms is a podcast by ParentsAware, an organization dedicated to helping parents talk to kids and teens about pornography and healthy sexuality. For complete show notes, visit http://parentsaware.info/index.php/podcast/.

What if my spouse is addicted to porn? Do I have a choice? What can I do to protect myself? Will his addiction impact our children? What can I do to protect them? Is it even possible to have marriage free from porn? How can I fight for love? How can I fight for my family?

To answer these questions, we've invited author and women's support coach Rosie Makinney to join us this week. Her mission is to help women understand what works and what doesn't in terms of getting porn out of marriage. We love her because she's able to infuse this difficult conversation with brightness and hope. Her book, Fight for Love: How to Take Your Marriage Back from Porn, is a gem and recommended reading for wives everywhere.

Rosie's outlook has been shaped by two vastly different porn-invaded relationships. She knows firsthand the futility and pain of competing against porn for love. But she also knows what it's like to have a spouse who's overcome addiction and together they've discovered more in marriage than they ever thought possible.

Media Savvy Moms is a podcast by ParentsAware, an organization dedicated to helping parents talk to kids and teens about pornography and healthy sexuality. For complete show notes, visit http://parentsaware.info/index.php/podcast/.

Kids are hilarious, sweet, funny, joyful and INNOCENT! But growing up in a media-saturated world is tough business. There's a lot that can threaten childhood innocence. Parents worry and wonder what is the best way to shelter kids. What if we looked at the issue differently?

This episode is part of our #DearSavvy series. Sometimes you just want a quick answer to a burning question. These shorter episodes are designed to give you just that. Tune in to the podcast to hear the whole scoop, and check out the show notes for helpful tools and information. If you'd like to submit a question, click here to Contact Us.

Media Savvy Moms is a podcast by ParentsAware, an organization dedicated to helping parents talk to kids and teens about pornography and healthy sexuality. For complete show notes, visit http://parentsaware.info/index.php/podcast/.