Be Involved, Be Informed, Be Connected
We provide education, information and a communication network to inform parents about social and developmental issues.
EVENTS
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LETTER FROM THE EDITOR
INSTAGRAM: HOW BIG IS THE THREAT TO WELL-BEING IN TEEN GIRLS, AND WHAT PARENTS CAN DO
A recent Wall Street Journal article on Facebook’s internal studies of Instagram and its effects on teen girl users has triggered a storm of parental anxiety and media scrutiny. So far so good – social media is still new enough in our culture that studies of its effects are warranted and useful. Anxiety, however, is less productive. What can a parent do to counter worry?
First, take a deep breath. Not every scare piece applies to YOUR child and YOUR family, and not all initial reporting is equivalent to evidence-based data. The same wisdom that instinctively guides well-meaning parents – know your children and communicate freely and frequently with them – can help here too.
LETTER FROM THE CHAIRPERSON
A Letter from our NYC-PIA Chairperson
Dear NYC-Parents in Action Community,
We are back and fall has arrived! The road has been bumpy these past 18 months and we applaud your fortitude as you’ve juggled school schedules, workloads, aging parents, rising college freshmen, new kindergartners, and Zoom, Zoom, Zoom!! We so appreciate your ongoing support throughout!
NYC-Parents in Action has been busy as well.
For our 2021-22 programming, we open with a compelling two-part Fall Webinar entitled, “Sex and Self Esteem: Starting the Conversation. Fostering Trust.”
In Case You Missed it
“Raising Sexually Smart Kids” with Lindsay Fram
How do you bridge the awkwardness gap and start talking confidently to your young children about sex?
Humor helps! That was the message from Lindsay Fram, a NYC-based sexuality educator, who has been striving to make the world a sexually smarter and sexually safer place for over 20 years, at NYC-PIA’s October 14 “lunch and Learn webinar. Lindsay works with kids from Kindergarten to college, and with the parents and caregivers who care for them, giving children and adults support they need to communicate honestly, easily and often. Lindsay is co-author of Above the Waist: Sexuality Education Beginning with the Brain, and holds a Master’s degree in Public Health from Tulane University.
“Help Your Teen Develop Healthy Self Esteem: Countering the Messages of Internet Porn” with Sari Cooper
For generations, “the talk,” has triggered parental dread. Frankness is easier today, but we have an added challenge: countering the messages of online porn. What is a parent to do?
Sari Cooper, LCSW, AASECT and Certified Sex Therapist, offered useful advice at NYC-Parents in Action’s recent Webinar, “Help Your Teen Develop Healthy Self Esteem: Countering the Messages of Internet Porn.” Modeling frankness, she shared practical conversation starters parents can use to initiate “the talk,” without sacrificing accuracy or openness.
TEEN SCENE: QUOTES FROM THE KIDS – A RETROSPECTIVE
Teen Scene, viewed over the last 20 years, proves what most of us already suspect: that for all the shifting trends decades may bring, human nature doesn’t change much. A glance at remarks from our teen panelists, chosen at random from 2001-2017, reveals that while the details may vary the big picture is pretty stable. Take a look:
Ask the Expert: Michaeleen Doucleff
Why doesn’t my child pitch in and help around the house? Is it so much to ask him to just load the dishwasher? Why doesn’t she cooperate? Why does he lack confidence? Today’s parents are often plagued with questions like this, and we all know parenting can be a struggle. For our latest “Q&A: Ask The Expert,” we spoke with NPR reporter Michaeleen Doucleff, author of current parenting bestseller Hunt, Gather, Parent. Doucleff grappled with these same questions and tackled them in a creative and unorthodox fashion—by traveling thousands of miles to learn how parents in non-Western societies successfully raise children who appear more confident and helpful than Western children.
Ask the Expert: Lucy Martin-Gianino
Talk about leaving a legacy! Lucy Martin-Gianino has moderated NYC-Parents in Action’s Teen Scene since its inception in 1986. As the Teen Scene moderator, Lucy oversees a teen panel offering parents a chance to hear high schoolers speak candidly about the academic, social, substance abuse and mental health issues they face growing up in the New York City independent schools. Lucy, an actress and trained facilitator, joined NYC-Parents in Action four decades ago with a desire to support PIA’s commitment to serve parents of the New York City independent schools. After 35 years, there’s not much Lucy hasn’t heard! To celebrate 35 YEARS of Teen Scene, we chatted with Lucy, fondly dubbed a “Lifer for Parents in Action.”