Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Girl, Kick Him Out from Under Your Umbrella

I wasn't planning to say anything about the rapper Chris Brown's alleged assault on his girlfriend, singer Rihanna, but an article I just read in Newsweek had some great points about what we can teach our children about relationships and domestic violence. And not just what we say to them, but how they observe us talking to others about it. Someone named Raina Kelley wrote, "Domestic Abuse Myths:Five Mistakes We Make When We Talk About Rihanna and Chris Brown's Relationship". And I just have to say, Preach it, sister!

I won't add my voice to the torrent of opinions, speculations, and relationship-dissections going on out there. Enough is being said, I suppose. I just think it's important that we think about how we think about this, and be purposeful in teaching a better way.

Peace, y'all. Now go click on that link. Go on, there's nothing else to see here!

6 comments:

  1. Good post & link (& title.)

    I definitely think about this-domestic violence- in regards to my kids' future relationships. I want them to be prepared and protected. I want to be involved and attentive.
    But it's scary that it's kind of no respecter of person; it could happen to anyone. And it's a difficult mire to get extracted from because it warps a person's thinking. Like it almost becomes normal.
    I feel sorry for her. She's so young...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Good article in the link. I hadn't really tuned in to this story that much until the rumors began that she was "back together" with him. Then yesterday in the Daily Beast, there was this column about the "lethality factors" in this kind of assault. It argued that this is the same pattern as OJ Simpson's. Really sad.

    And I thought, where is her daddy?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you for posting this article. I couldn't agree more.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you for posting the link - it's made me think about the way I've been taught to view the world and whether I want to pass those views onto my children.

    ReplyDelete
  5. This comment is late, but I am compelled to make it.

    Among the duties of a father are these:

    1. Teach his son that a man never hits a woman. Ever.

    2. Help his daughter to understand that she deserves only the best treatment from men in her life and that anything less is not to be tolerated.

    3. Communicate, overtly or otherwise, to the men in his daughter's life that she will suffer abuse from him only once. She either leaves, or he leaves...one way or another.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for linking to the articles. The more people who talk about domestic violence and get it out in the open the better.

    My niece was killed in May by her husband. Still no trial yet. We're waiting and waiting and waiting.

    So, the more we all talk about it, the more open it is, the more educated we all get, the less tolerance there will be for it.

    Keep talking!

    ReplyDelete