Media Savvy Moms

How do we choose the perfect gift for kids today? And what does that even mean? Do we simply get them whatever they ask for? We could go with the latest tech device, right? But then that means coming up with digital safety solutions. Maybe it’s better to choose a more thoughtful and creative gift? It’s possible that there are just too many choices!

Well friends, 2020 has caused us enough stress! Budgets may be tight. And is it safe to say that we're all sick of screens? Let’s take a fresh look at how to tackle the Holiday shopping list. Whether interested in going tech-free or tech-friendly, this episode has the advice needed to find the perfect gift for all the kids on anyone’s list. 

Tune in as we wax nostalgic to uncover the secret gift-giving formula. Plus, summarize what our favorite tech experts say is the most important thing to do before wrapping up any tech gifts this year.

Media Savvy Moms is a podcast by ParentsAware, an organization dedicated to helping parents talk to kids and teens about pornography and healthy sexuality.

How do we choose the perfect gift for kids today? And what does that even mean? Do we simply get them whatever they ask for? We could go with the latest tech device, right? But then that means coming up with digital safety solutions. Maybe it’s better to choose a more thoughtful and creative gift? It’s possible that there are just too many choices!

Well friends, 2020 has caused us enough stress! Budgets may be tight. And is it safe to say that we're all sick of screens? Let’s take a fresh look at how to tackle the Holiday shopping list. Whether interested in going tech-free or tech-friendly, this episode has the advice needed to find the perfect gift for all the kids on anyone’s list. 

Tune in as we wax nostalgic to uncover the secret gift-giving formula. Plus, summarize what our favorite tech experts say is the most important thing to do before wrapping up any tech gifts this year.

Media Savvy Moms is a podcast by ParentsAware, an organization dedicated to helping parents talk to kids and teens about pornography and healthy sexuality.

We talk about how connecting with our kids can help protect them against addiction and the harms of pornography. But how exactly do we build those healthy connections? Ever considered the benefits of adventuring with your kids? They go well beyond exercise and a healthy dose of fresh air. Adventuring together builds connections in unimaginable ways. Plus it's fun!

We have a return guest this week, Greta Eskridge—supermom, home educator, social media influencer, and most recently ... published author (details below). And BOY is she fun to follow! Her passion is to be out doing AMAZING stuff with her kids! And that’s exactly why we’re picking her brain. What’s the secret to these amazing adventures? And what can we learn from her experience?

Last time Greta was on the show, we were in the first few weeks of the COVID-19 madness. Suddenly dumped into the schooling-from-home arena, we looked to her for advice. At that point, none of us imagined that several months later, we would still be in lockdown. Most of us are still schooling and working from home in one form or another, and trying to cope with the upside-down new normal (if you can call it that!). What’s a desperate parent to do?

Tune in to the podcast for some great conversations about how to get out of the funk and build real, meaningful connections with our kids that will last a lifetime!

Media Savvy Moms is a podcast by ParentsAware, an organization dedicated to helping parents talk to kids and teens about pornography and healthy sexuality. 

Pornography is easily accessible and is permeating our lives. And while we, as parents, are becoming more aware of its effects and recognize the need to talk with our children about pornography, many wonder when, where, and how to start the conversation. It’s a scary task, oftentimes more so for parents than for the kids! So, where do we start? 

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 into 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. 

Child sexual abuse. It’s a serious topic with no easy answers. It can hurt just thinking about it—no matter whose child it affects. So what are we to do? Do we close our eyes, try to think of happier thoughts, and wish for it to all go away? No! We do what we can do. We control what we can control. We teach children about body safety. We give them the best protective information we can.

No one knows how to do this better than Holly-ann Martin. She, with the help of her husband Roger, founded Safe4Kids, a Western Australia organization devoted to Abuse Prevention Training. Simply, they saw a need and went to work. With a background in education, Holly-ann has developed a host of incredible resources (see links below). Each is designed to help parents and teachers empower children with the necessary life skills to not only help protect from unwanted sexual touch (including exposure to pornography), but also teach children how to build and nurture respectful relationships.

If there’s one underlying message that we want you to get from this episode, it’s that you can do this! Talking to children about body safety can be comfortable, easy, and even fun! In fact, kids learn best when they’re having fun. As their parent, you’re the best person to take the lead on this. But don’t worry, you’re not alone. Holly-ann is here to guide you though. In this episode we discuss:

• What is the best age to start protective conversations
• Why kids need us to help them express themselves
• 3 fun and practical ways to teach body safety

And did we mention? … she's been teaching and updating her curriculum for over 35 years!! So ya, she knows a thing or two!

More about today’s guest

Holly-ann Martin is the founder and Managing Director of Safe4Kids, a company specialising in child abuse prevention education. Through Safe4Kids, Holly-ann develops and distributes child protection education resources to parents, teachers and educators, and facilitates child protection education and training in Australia and overseas. With a background as a Teacher’s Assistant, Holly-ann is also a children’s author and public speaker. Holly-ann advocates for a holistic, community-based approach to child abuse prevention, educating the people in a child’s network about how to teach kids about body safety, empower them with knowledge, and ultimately keep them safe.

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/.

Do you have a child who is obsessed with anime? Are you freaking out? Or maybe you just want to know what all the hype is about. What is anime? Is it dangerous? If so, how can I protect my kids? Is there any way to safely enjoy anime? 

Anime. Suddenly it’s everywhere. All the kids are talking about it. All the parents are scratching their heads about it. And many families have sent us horror stories because they didn’t know what they were getting into, and their kids have been traumatized in its wake. 

So what is anime anyway? Maybe you have some pieces of the puzzle. You know Pokemon Go is a thing. You’ve seen anime titles pop up on YouTube or Netflix. (Who could miss that pronounced Japanese animated style?) The kids are chatting non-stop about their favorite series and anime characters in the carpool on the way to school. So what’s the deal? Is anime evil? Is it safe? Should we be worried about this craze permeating the upcoming generation? Tune in to the podcast and we’ll figure it out together!

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/.

Do you have a child who is obsessed with anime? Are you freaking out? Or maybe you just want to know what all the hype is about. What is anime? Is it dangerous? If so, how can I protect my kids? Is there any way to safely enjoy anime? 

Anime. Suddenly it’s everywhere. All the kids are talking about it. All the parents are scratching their heads about it. And many families have sent us horror stories because they didn’t know what they were getting into, and their kids have been traumatized in its wake. 

So what is anime anyway? Maybe you have some pieces of the puzzle. You know Pokemon Go is a thing. You’ve seen anime titles pop up on YouTube or Netflix. (Who could miss that pronounced Japanese animated style?) The kids are chatting non-stop about their favorite series and anime characters in the carpool on the way to school. So what’s the deal? Is anime evil? Is it safe? Should we be worried about this craze permeating the upcoming generation? Tune in to the podcast and we’ll figure it out together!

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 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. 

More about today’s guest

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/.