Talking to Your Grandchild about Dating Abuse Your teenage grandchild has become explosive over trivial issues or the once social butterfly has fewer friends around. Many grandparents today find themselves in dual roles. Single parents move back home, placing the burden of being both parent and grandparent on the baby-boomer generation. Many times it is the grandparent who notices subtle changes in the teen due to more contact on a daily basis. These changes should never be dismissed or ignored. Teens undergoing dating abuse tend to feel at fault. If communication appears difficult between parent and child, the grandparent may provide the comfort zone which the teen needs. Being neutral/non-judgmental, allowing for open conversation …show more content…
Many teens do not report it because they are afraid. The statistics on dating violence are staggering:
• Roughly 1.5 million high school boys and girls in the U.S. admit to being intentionally hit or physically harmed in the last year by someone they are romantically involved with.
• Teens who suffer dating abuse are subject to long-term consequences like alcoholism, eating disorders, promiscuity, thoughts of suicide, and violent behavior.
• 33% of adolescents in America are victim to sexual, physical, verbal, or emotional dating abuse.
• In the U.S., 25% of high school girls have been abused physically or sexually. Teen girls who are abused this way are 6 times more likely to become pregnant or contract a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
• Violent behavior often begins between 6th and 12th grade. 72% of 13 and 14-year-olds are “dating.
• ”50% of young people who experience rape or physical or sexual abuse will attempt to commit suicide. .
• Teens who have been abused hesitate to seek help because they do not want to expose themselves or are unaware of the laws surrounding domestic
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Teens experiencing infatuation find it hard to know whether it is jealousy or love that drives the other person. Sadly, many do not recognize they are being abused, as they are trying so desperately to please they feel like they will be blamed for it happening. How do you, the grandparent, help? Here is where the nurturing, cookie-baking Nana or handyman Grandpa uses their own skills to bring the teen into a non-judgmental atmosphere. Time mastering recipes or building birdhouses is always a good “remember when” story to break the ice. Look for a comfort zone related to things you have done together as the teen has grown. You could then begin with a very non-threatening “You seem to be spending a lot of time in your room lately and I haven’t seen Hayley or Jenna in weeks. Has something