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Discussing Healthy Relationships With Your Children

Meggie Evans, LCSW-S, Assistant Director of Clinical Services

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2023), about 1 in 12 high school students experience physical dating violence, and an additional 1 in 12 experience sexual dating violence.  

While these statistics are unsettling, we can help to reduce the likelihood of victimization by having open lines of communication with our children and teenagers. Use the following tips from DCAC’s Assistant Director of Clinical Services, Meggie Evans, to guide your conversations with your children and teenagers.

  1. Have discussions about family values, sexual health and healthy relationship dynamics in a non-judgmental and safe environment.
    1. Healthy relationships include respect, equality, trust, honesty, communication, and consent (love is respect Action Guide, 2024).  
    2. The different aspects of consent can be remembered with the FRIES acronym: Freely Given, Reversible, Informed, Enthusiastic, and Specific (Planned Parenthood, 2024). 
  2. Be aware of how your children are engaging online and talk with them about online safety, including sexting and cyberbullying. 

Remember that while we want to be aware of dating violence, violence in unhealthy relationships is not limited to romantic relationships. Discussing these issues and explaining the difference between a healthy and an unhealthy relationship can help your kids understand what it means to have and build positive relationships.

Additional Resources 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2023). Fast facts: preventing teen dating violence. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/intimatepartnerviolence/teendatingviolence/fastfact.html 

love is respect (2024). Love like that – love is respect action guide. https://www.loveisrespect.org/wp-content/uploads/media/sites/3/2024/01/2024-TDVAM-Action-Guide.pdf 

Planned Parenthood (2024). Sexual consent. Planned Parenthood. https://www.plannedparenthood.org/learn/relationships/sexual-consent 

NetSmartz. www.netsmartz.org  

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