by Sam Meier
There is a great new resource for protecting young children from pornography called “Good Pictures Bad Pictures: Porn Proofing Today’s Young Kids” by Kristen A. Jenson and Gail Poyner.
This short book has become so popular that it is a best-seller on Amazon.com with over 300 five-star reviews! “Good Pictures Bad Pictures” is a comfortable, read-aloud story about a mom and dad who teach their child what pornography is, why it’s dangerous and how to reject it.
The book is targeted to the parents of 7-year-olds and older. My wife and I have used concepts from this book to discuss the harms of pornography with our children. Here’s one of our favorite quotes from the book: “I’ve taught you to wear a helmet when you ride your bike to protect your brain on the outside. But pornography gets inside your brain and hurts it. Do you want to protect your brain on the inside, too?”
The book includes the five-point CAN DO Plan™, which teaches kids how to avoid the brain-warping images of pornography and minimize the troubling memories of accidental exposure.
Catholic children in northeast Kansas urgently need to be protected. During a recent presentation at a large suburban parish to roughly 30 teenage boys, the parish youth minister and I asked the boys when they were first exposed to pornography.
Here are the results from the informal survey: third grade – 21 percent, fourth grade – 4 percent, fifth grade – 21 percent, sixth grade – 14 percent, seventh grade – 25 percent, and eighth grade – 14 percent. We also asked the boys how they were first exposed to pornography: 43 percent said it was curiosity, 39 percent said a friend introduced them and 19 percent said it was accidental.
We recently printed 5,000 postcards to help promote “Good Pictures Bad Pictures” at parishes across northeast Kansas. We are also promoting the book through Facebook, newsletters, parish bulletins and parishes. Contact me if you would like postcards for your friends, parish, school, etc.
I personally encourage you to read this book, post about it on Facebook and spread the word to five of your friends. The book can be ordered in bulk for substantial discounts, and contact me if you are interested in ordering multiple copies for your parish or group. The book was recently translated into Spanish, and our talented archdiocesan translator Judith Breton helped to review the translation.
If your family needs counseling for these topics, I am one of the 22 local Catholic counselors listed online at: www.archkck.org/Catholic-Counselors. I also provide local and national presentations about internet safety and sexual integrity.
Visit the website to book a presentation for your parish, parent meeting, college group, youth group, etc.
