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Coming Events for April
Coming Events for April – June
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Sat 17 April 2010
Top of the South Conference in Tasman Bay
Venue: Tasman Bible Church Cnr Coastal Highway and Williams Rd, Tasman
Contact: Rose, 03 526-6767 evenings only or topofthesouthreg@live.com
Cost: $5.00 per family
Programme:
8:45am Venue opens
9:15am Welcome
9:30 – 11am
Craig and Barbara Smith: Home Education – Getting Things Into Perspective
11am Morning Tea
11:30am Two Electives
Craig Smith: A Christian Dad’s Essential Role in Home Education
Barbara Smith: Changing the Heart of a Rebel (For preventing rebellion, and dealing with it as a Christian)
12:30pm BYO Lunch, View Resources
1:00pm Two Electives
Craig Smith: Is it Possible to Discipline Children in our Undisciplined Society?
Barbara Smith: Training our Children’s Minds, The Tools of Learning, and Motivation
2:30pm PM Tea, View Resources
3.00pm Two Electives Combined
Craig and Barbara Smith: Training our Children/Youth to be Pure and Raising our Daughters to be Godly Wives and Mothers
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Tue 20 April 2010
Coffee & Dessert Evening in Hokitika
Venue: Hokitika Church of Christ, corner of Sale and Stafford Sts, Hokitika
Time: 7:00 pm
Cost: $5.00 per family
Questions and Answers with Craig and Barbara Smith
Please bring your favourite dessert to share.
Anyone wanting individual time with Craig or Barbara, or both? They are available during the day of the 20th. Let Sonya know and she will arrange a time when you can meet with them.
Contact: Sonya McGarvey Ph: 03 755-5300 mcgarveyls@snap.net.nz
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Thurs 22 Apr 2010
An Evening in Te Anau
Venue: Lakeside Presbyterian Church, Te Anau Terrace, Te Anau
Time: 7pm
Contact: Nancy, 03 349-8166, gnbarnes@xtra.co.nz
Programme:7pm Keynote with Craig “Home Education – Getting things Into Perspective.”
8pm two electivesCraig: “Is it Possible to Discipline in Our Undisciplined Society.’Barbara: “Christian Parents Preventing and Changing Rebellion in a Child’s Heart”*******
Fri/Sat 23-24 Apr 2010
“Refresh” Conference in New Plymouth
Speaker: Rosie Boom
Venue: Northpoint Baptist Church, 116 Mangati Rd., Bell Block
Cost: $30 (includes am & pm teas)
Contact: Sue, 06 758-5294, innesnz@xtra.co.nz; Helen, 06 754-7158, powicks @gmail.com
Friday: Family Concert by Rosie Boom & Family, 7-9pm
Programme:
9:00am — Venue Opens, Resources
9:30am — Rosie Boom: Joy in the Homeschool Journey
10:30 — AM Tea
10:50 — Rosie: The Gift of Values (how to nurture character in our children’s lives)
12:30 — Lunch
1:00pm — Resource Stalls open
2:15pm — Rosie: Building a Strong Family
3:15-6:00pm — View Resources
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Sat 24 April 2010
Full Day Workshop in Invercargill
Venue: Rosedale Bible Chapel Cnr Bourke & Exmouth Sts Invercargill
Contact: Joy Gibson Phone: 03 214-4493 briangibson@clear.net.nz
Costs: $15 / family or $5 / session
Programme:
9:00am Venue Opens, Resources
9:15am Welcome & Notices
9:30-11am Two Electives
Craig Smith: The Christian Dad’s Essential Role in Home Education
Barbara Smith: Avoiding Burnout — Keeping Going When the Going Gets Tough
11:00am AM Tea, View Resources
11:30am Two Electives
Craig Smith: Choosing or Developing Your Own Curriculum
Barbara Smith: Training Our Children’s Minds, The Tools of Learning and Motivation
1:00pm BYO Lunch, Resources
1:30pm Two Electives
Craig Smith: Changing the Heart of a Rebel (for preventing rebellion and dealing with it as a Christian)
Barbara Smith: Training Our Children to Worship
2:30pm PM Tea, View Resources
3:00pm Two Electives
Craig Smith: Training Our Children/Youth to Be Pure
Barbara Smith: Raising Our Daughters to Be Godly Wives and Mothers
4:30pm View Resources. End
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Mon 26 April 2010
Dunedin Home Education Seminar
Venue: Musselburgh Baptist Church, 131 Musselburgh Rise, Dunedin
Time: 10am-3pm & 7-9pm
Cost: $15 per family, which includes the Children’s Programme
Contact: Dunedin Committee on register4dunedinseminar@gmail.com or Katie, ph. 03 489-2349,
Programme:
10am — Registration & Resources
10:15 — Welcome & Notices
10:30-12 — Two Electives
Craig Smith: Home Education — Getting Things into Perspective
Barbara Smith: Home Education through Secondary and Preparing for Tertiary
12-1 — Lunch. Tea & Coffee provided.
1-2:30 — Two Electives:
Craig: Changing the Heart of a Rebel
Barbara: Avoiding Burnout: Keeping Going When the Going Gets Tough
2:30-3 — PM Tea & Resources
(3pm-7pm: Free to go home)
7-9pm — Two Electives
Craig: Dad’s Essential Role in Home Education from a Christian Perspective
Barbara: Training Our Children’s Minds: Tools of Learning and Motivation
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Tue 27 April 2010
Half Day Workshop in Oamaru
Contact: Tani, 03 434-9253, tani.newton@paradise.net.nz
Venue: Elim Church
Cost: $10 per family or $5 per session.
Speakers: Craig & Barbara Smith
Programme:
1pm — Registration & Resources
1:30 — Two Electives
Craig Smith: Choosing or Developing Your Own Curriculum
Barbara Smith: Training Our Children’s Minds
3pm — PM Tea & Resources
3:30 — Two Electives:
Craig: Changing the Heart of a Rebel
Barbara: Training Our Children to Worship
4:30-5 — Q & A Session
6:00pm — Pot Providence Tea
8:00pm — Two Electives:
Craig: The Christian Dad’s Essential Role in Home Education
Barbara: Training Our Daughters to Be Godly Wives & Mothers
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Wed 28 April 2010
Workshop in Timaru
Venue: Connect Community Church, Intersection of College Rd and Harper St., Timaru
Cost: $5 per family per sessioin or $15 per family for all the 4 sessions.
Contact: Rachel, 03 686-3393 or thelittles@maxnet.co.nz
Programme:
1:45pm — Arrive & Welcome
2:00 — Two Electives
Craig Smith: Getting Things into Perspective (Schooling vs Education, Character Training, Tutoring/mentoring, Developing Vision)
Barbara Smith: Avoiding Burnout: Keeping Going When the Going Gets Tough (Symptoms, Causes, Strategies)
3:30pm — PM Tea & Resources
4:00 — Two Electives:
Craig: Choosing/Developing Your Own Curriculum
Barbara: Training Our Children’s Minds: the Tools of Learning and Motivation (Grammar, Logic and Rhetoric Stages of a Classical Hebrew / Interpersonal Education)
5:30 — BYO Dinner Time
6:30pm — Two Electives:
Craig: The Christian Dad’s Essential Role in Home Education
Barbara: Creating Your Own Library and the Vital Nature of Reading Aloud
7:30pm — Keynote Address
Craig: Home Educating Through Secondary and Preparing for Tertiary and the Workforce
8:35pm — Q & A Session
9:00pm — Supper
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Thur 29 April 2010
Home Education Workshop in Ashburton
Venue: Ashburton Baptist Church, cnr Cass & Havelock Sts., Ashburton
Cost: $5 one session, $10 Single, $15 Family
Contact: Melanie, 03 030-6564, midcanthomeeducators@gmail.com
Programme:
1pm — Registration & Resources
1:15-2:45 — Barbara Smith: Avoiding Burnout: Keeping Going When the Going Gets Tough
2:45-3:15pm — PM Tea & Resources
3:15-4:30 — Craig Smith: Home Educating Through Secondary and Preparing for Tertiary and the Workforce
4:30-5:00pm — View Resources
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Sat 1 May 2010
Workshop in Christchurch
Venue: Bishopdale Reformed Church, 90 Highsted Rd., Christchurch
Cost: $15.00
Contact: Angela McDowell, ph. 03 383-0652 pm only; andrew. mcdowell@xtra.co.nz
Programme:
9:00am Venue Opens, Resources
9:15am Welcome & Notices
9:30-11am Two Electives
Craig Smith: The Christian Dad’s Essential Role in Home Education
Barbara Smith: Avoiding Burnout — Keeping Going When the Going Gets Tough
11:00am AM Tea, View Resources
11:30am Two Electives
Craig Smith: Choosing or Developing Your Own Curriculum
Barbara Smith: Training Our Children’s Minds, The Tools of Learning and Motivation
1:00pm BYO Lunch, Resources
1:30pm Two Electives
Craig Smith: Changing the Heart of a Rebel (for preventing rebellion and dealing with it as a Christian)
Barbara Smith: Training Our Children to Worship
2:30pm PM Tea, View Resources
3:00pm Two Electives
Craig Smith: Training Our Children/Youth to Be Pure
Barbara Smith: Raising Our Daughters to Be Godly Wives and Mothers
4:30pm View Resources. End
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Mon 3 May 2010
Evening Meeting in Blenheim
Venue: The Community House in Riversdale, 131 Budge St.
Cost: Donation
Time: 7:00pm
Contact: Sandy, 03 578-1296, home_spun3@live.com
Informal Q & A time: with Craig & Barbara Smith, including college & university entrance.
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Fri/Sun 28-30 May 2010
Patchwork of Grace
Retreat
Venue: El Rancho, Waikanae
Speaker: Rosie Boom
Cost: $165 per person, includes all meals from Sat Breakfast through Sunday Lunch.
Contact: Gayle McDonald, lotsamacs@xtra.co.nz
This is an opportunity for you to spend a weekend away from the burdens and stresses of homeschooling life and take some time out to fellowship with other like-minded mums. You will receive inspiration and encouragement for your homeschool journey.
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Fri/Sat 25-27 June 2010
Heart Retreat
Matamata
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For more on Craig and Barbara’s talks go to:
Craig’s electives http://hef.org.nz/2007/workshop-electives-offered-by-craig-smith/Barbara’s electives http://hef.org.nz/2007/workshop-electives-offered-by-barbara-smith/and
Rosie Boom http://www.rosieboom.com/ -
Mums Still Smacking, Want Law Change not Discretion – Poll
MEDIA RELEASE
31 March 2010
Mums Still Smacking,
Want Law Change not Discretion – Poll
Family First NZ says that almost half of our mums of young children have admitted smacking illegally in the past 12 months, and three out of four mums want the government to adopt a law change rather than rely on police (and CYF) discretion.
These are the key finding of research commissioned by Family First NZ. The Curia Market Research poll surveyed 1,000 people, and also found continued confusion over the legal effect of the law.
“This poll confirms that the Prime Minister has not reassured parents. They are still concerned that he is willing to retain a law which he admits is a ‘dog’s breakfast’, badly drafted, extremely vague, and had to whip his MP’s to support.”
“Immediately following the referendum last year, polling showed 52% wanted a law change and 27% supported no law change but greater discretion as suggested by the PM. That has now almost returned to the 80% benchmark of opposition to the law that has been present for the past 5 years.”
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KEY FINDINGS
Extensive support for a law change across all demographics (4 out of 5 people)
3 out of 4 say the law is not at all likely to help reduce the rate of child abuse
Only 1/3’rd of respondents actually understand the law correctly
45% of mums of under 12’s have smacked illegally in past 12 months
1/4 of mums more likely to vote for political party that commits to changing law
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“A law that requires so many compromises, guidelines, helplines, reviews, and parent education could be easily fixed with a simple amendment. That’s what parents deserve, what they want, and what the politicians should respect and act on,” says Mr McCoskrie.
As a result of this poll, Family First is continuing to call on the government to adopt ACT MP John Boscawen’s private members bill which is similar to National MP Chester Borrow’s proposed amendment. National MP’s were supporting this amendment until they were whipped to vote for Sue Bradford’s bill at the last minute.
The poll was conducted between 24 and 28 March 2010 and has a margin of error of +/- 3.2%.
ENDS
For More Information and Media Interviews, contact Family First:
Bob McCoskrie – National Director
Mob. 027 55 555 42
Sign up now to received FREE email updates of issues affecting families – be informed! http://www.familyfirst.org.nz/index.cfm/Sign_Up -
Top of the South Conference in Tasman Bay: Sat 17 April 2010
Sat 17 April 2010
Top of the South Conference
in Tasman Bay
Venue: Tasman Bible Church Cnr Coastal Highway and Williams Rd, Tasman
Contact: Rose Sutherland Phone 03 526 6767 evenings only or topofthesouthreg@live.com Cost: $5.00 per family
PROGRAMME:
8:45am Venue opens, Resource Table9:15am Welcome
9:30 – 11am Craig and Barbara Smith: “Home Education – Getting Things Into Perspective”
11am Morning Tea
11:30am Two Electives
Craig Smith: “Dad’s Essential Role in Home Education – from a Christian Perspective”
Barbara Smith: “Changing the Heart of a Rebel” (For preventing rebellion, and dealing with it – Christian presentation)2:30pm Lunch – BYO, Resource Table
1: 00pm Two Electives
Craig Smith: “Is it Possible to Discipline Children in our Undisciplined Society?”
Barbara Smith: “Training our Children’s Minds”, “The Tools of Learning”, and “Motivation”2:30pm Afternoon Tea, Resource Table
3.00pm Two Electives Combined
Craig and Barbara Smith: “Training our Children/Youth to be Pure” and “Raising our Daughters to be Godly Wives and Mothers”(Q’s and A’s can be included in this session.)
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Hamilton Home Schooling Conference – all welcome – great talks for all parents
Sat 6 March 2010
THEN Conference Hamilton
Venue: Hamilton Sth Baptist Church, 131 Ohaupo Rd, Hamilton
Contact: Margaret, Phone: 07 843 5656, THENmail@gmail.com
Costs: $20 THEN member, $35 nonmember, $40 on-day
Registrations close: Sunday 28 February 2010
(you can still turn up on the day and pay the on-day registration)
Vendors: Home Education Foundation, Learnex, CES Books and more.
Programme
9am Open for Registrations including on the day registrations
10am Start and Welcome
10.05am – 10.30am Craig Smith — Keynote Address
10.30 Morning Tea, Vendors Open
11.00am – 12.00pm Session 1
Craig Smith: Getting Started in Home Education: In this presentation Craig Smith covers the details of getting your child out of school, different approaches to home education, curriculum materials and the legal aspects of home education. For those new to home education this is a great place to get an over view.
Wintech, University and Vision College reps: Preparing for Tertiary
Rowena Powell: Reading, the Reluctant Reader and Maths Reluctant: Rowena home educated her own children and now specializes in teaching reading writing and maths to children who need extra help. Her workshops usually have a hands on approach to how you go about helping children to master the art of reading writing and maths.
Barbara Smith: Coping with/Avoiding Burnout: During this presentation Barbara Smith will look at the symptoms and causes of home school burnout and strategies for avoiding it. Many of us worry about whether what we are doing is right, is there a better way and strive too hard. Barbara will lead us to an understanding of what home education really calls us to.
12 pm Lunch BYO. Tea and coffee provided
12.45 pm – 1.25pm Session 2
Craig Smith: Is it possible to discipline children in our undisciplined society? It will be very interesting to hear what Craig has to say here. He is right; society is undisciplined. How do we teach discipline to our children in a world that mocks it.
Barbara Smith: Books, Great books and more books: How is your home library coming along? From her years of home education experience Barbara will share her wisdom of what it really is worth spending your money on to develop your home library. What books are of greatest value? And Why?
Gladys Billings: Teaching Writing: Gladys is the home schooling mother of Anna (15) and David (15).
If our child is a good reader we naturally think they will be a good writer. But this does not always follow. Writing is a skill which any child can acquire so as to express themselves creatively or in essays. For the last 4 years Gladys used Andrew Pudewa’s wonderful user-friendly Excellence in Writing material to teach children how to write.Johanna Whittaker: Lapbooking and Unit Studies: Johanna is the home schooling mum to Nathan (10) and Grace (12). She discovered the creativity, fun and convenience of Lapbooking when undertaking unit study work with her children. They have been making lapbooks for about five years, subjects ranging from butterflies to India. If you just want to find a way to conveniently record and store project work in an attractive innovative way, then investigate this workshop.
1.30pm – 2.30pm Session 3
Craig Smith: Dads: The dad’s essential role in home education is what Craig will explore during this session. The father’s input into home education and family life is vital. Craig as father of a large family will share his wisdom and experience and hopefully inspire other dads to get more involved in their children’s education.
Margaret Evans: Homeschooling on the Smell of an Oily Rag: Margaret is a mother of 6, who has home educated her family over 22 years, much of that time while on the DPB. Can it be done without spending much money, and how do you choose what to spend the little you have on? Alison Kinghorn, who home educated her three children, will also have some input.
Barbara Smith: Training our Children’s Minds: Barbara takes the grammar, logic and rhetoric stages of classical education and applies it to the Hebrew/interpersonal approach to learning which results in a very interesting and informative workshop.
Katherine Baxendine: Home schooling Large Families: Kathy is married to David. They live on a dairy farm in Matamata area with their 11 children who range in age from 19 years to 15 months. Along with Kate Molloy (mother of 8 children) Kathy will lead the workshop whereby they will share ideas and tips that have helped them in their homeschooling.
2.40pm – 3.15pm Panel of homeschooling parents, and homeschool graduates – chaired by Craig Smith.
Close and thank yous
Afternoon tea and vendors stalls open until 4pm
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Some Kids Are Never Spanked – Do They Turn Out Better?
Some Kids Are Never Spanked – Do They Turn Out Better?
Po Bronson
For decades, research on spanking was challenged by the lack of a control group to compare against – almost all kids (90+%) had been spanked at least once, at some time in their early lives. New research shows that now up to 25% of kids are never spanked, so it’s a fair question: How are they turning out? Are they turning out better? Surprisingly, they’re not.
In NurtureShock, we described some extensive cross-ethnic and international research on spanking by Drs. Jennifer Lansford and Ken Dodge.
Their data suggested that if a culture views spanking as the normal consequence for bad behavior, kids aren’t damaged by its occasional use. To explain this shocker, the scholars suggested that in cultures or communities where spanking is common, parents are less agitated when administering spankings. Spanking almost never—when combined with losing your temper—can be worse than spanking frequently.* But what about the third option: not spanking them at all? Unfortunately, there’s been little study of this, because children who’ve never been spanked aren’t easy to find. Most kids receive physical discipline at least once in their life. But times are changing, and parents today have numerous alternatives to spanking. The result is that kids are spanked less often overall, and kids who’ve never been spanked are becoming a bigger slice of the pie in long-term population studies. One of those new population studies underway is called Portraits of American Life. It involves interviews of 2,600 people and their adolescent children every three years for the next 20 years. Dr. Marjorie Gunnoe is working with the first wave of data on the teens. It turns out that almost a quarter of these teens report they were never spanked. So this is a perfect opportunity to answer a very simple question: are kids who’ve never been spanked any better off, long term? Gunnoe’s summary is blunt: “I didn’t find that in my data.” The study asked teens how old they were when their last spanking occurred, and how often they would get spanked as a child. That was cross-referenced against the data on bad outcomes we might fear spanking could lead to years later: antisocial behavior, early sexual activity, physical violence, and depression. But Gunnoe went further. She also looked at many good outcomes we might want for our teens, such as academic rank, volunteer work, college aspirations, hope for the future, and confidence in their ability to earn a living when they grow up. Studies of corporal punishment almost never look at good outcomes, but Gunnoe wanted to really tease out the differences in these kids. What she discovered was another shocker: those who’d been spanked just when they were young—ages 2 to 6—were doing a little better as teenagers than those who’d never been spanked. On almost every measure. A separate group of teens had been spanked until they were in elementary school. Their last spanking had been between the ages of 7 and 11. These teens didn’t turn out badly, either. Compared with the never-spanked, they were slightly worse off on negative outcomes, but a little better off on the good outcomes. Only the teenagers who were still being spanked clearly showed problems. Gunnoe is now looking at how parenting styles might explain these patterns—especially the mystery of why the never-spanked are doing worse than expected. Gunnoe doesn’t know what she’ll find, but my thoughts jump immediately to the work of Dr. Sarah Schoppe-Sullivan, whom we wrote about in NurtureShock. Schoppe-Sullivan found that children of progressive dads were acting out more in school. This was likely because the fathers were inconsistent disciplinarians; they were emotionally uncertain about when and how to punish, and thus they were reinventing the wheel every time they had to reprimand their child. And there was more conflict in their marriage over how best to parent, and how to divide parenting responsibilities. I admit to taking a leap here, but if the progressive parents are the ones who never spank (or at least there’s a large overlap), then perhaps the consistency of discipline is more important than the form of discipline. In other words, spanking regularly isn’t the problem; the problem is having no regular form of discipline at all. _____________ * As we wrote in our book, even in cultures were spanking is more common, its use is still very rare (perhaps once or twice in a kid's entire lifetime), and we aren't talking about severe beatings of a child, but a swat across the behind. Additionally, the work of Dodge and Lansford (who remain adamantly against corporal punishment) suggests that, in societies that consider spanking unacceptable, parents still spank—but they hit in anger—when they've lost control. http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/nurtureshock/archive/2009/12/30/never-been-spanked.aspx
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Time Out Targeted as Next Taboo of Parenting
MEDIA RELEASE
17 January 2010
Time Out Targeted as Next Taboo of Parenting
Family First NZ says that ‘time out’ is now being labeled as harmful to children based on flawed ideology and without any research to back up the claims, as was the case with the smacking debate.
“Last week, an Australian parenting expert labeled time out as shameful and humiliating, joining other so-called parenting experts who claim that time out creates hurt, anger and defiance in a child ultimately harming them. They also claim that nervous habits can result, and that children should not be told they are naughty,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.
“Once again, these unsubstantiated and ideologically flawed claims and latest fads in parenting by academics simply undermine the confidence of parents to raise their children in a positive and common sense way. Where does it stop? Will it soon be unacceptable to withdraw privileges or ‘ground’ a child – perhaps it will soon be even unacceptable to frown at a child who is misbehaving!”
“Great and law-abiding kiwi parents are being forced to changed their parenting techniques based on flawed and unproven ideology. Yet all these techniques have been proven throughout the generations to be beneficial to raising law-abiding and positive members of society.”
“The discipline, training and correction of children, and techniques being used to achieve this, are being demonized with no justification.”
“For example, research earlier this month has shown that light smacking is not harmful and can even be beneficial to children.”
“Parents should be given the freedom and respect to raise their own children in a common sense and non-abusive way rather than being harassed with the latest theories of child rearing from so-called experts,” says Mr McCoskrie.
It’s time the government listened to thorough and balanced research, and to the experience of parents and grandparents on smacking, time out and other issues related to raising responsible and law abiding citizens, rather than the flawed ideology and scaremongering of academics and state agencies who have misdefined positive parenting and child abuse.”
ENDS
For More Information and Media Interviews, contact Family First:
Bob McCoskrie – National Director Mob. 027 55 555 42
Sign up now to received FREE email updates of issues affecting families – be informed! http://www.familyfirst.org.nz/index.cfm/Sign_Up -
Latest Smacking Research Shows Benefits
MEDIA RELEASE
4 January 2010
Latest Smacking Research Shows Benefits
Family First NZ is welcoming the latest research showing that light and reasonable smacking is beneficial to children in their development, and despite claims by government funded groups, kids aren’t damaged by its occasional use.
“Previous research has not been able to compare children who have been smacking with those who have never been smacked, because children who’ve never been smacked were hard to find as most kids received physical discipline at least once in their life,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ. “But due to the pervading anti-smacking ideology, this has changed.”
“Yet this study found that young children smacked by their parents may grow up to be happier and more successful than those who have never been smacked. Children smacked up to the age of six were likely as teenagers to perform better at school and were more likely to carry out volunteer work and to want to go to university than their peers who had never been physically disciplined. Only those children who continued to be smacked into adolescence showed clear behavioural problems.”
Marjorie Gunnoe, professor of psychology at Calvin College in Grand Rapids, Michigan, said her study showed there was insufficient evidence to deny parents the freedom to choose how they discipline their children. Gunnoe’s work drew on a study of 2,600 people, of whom about a quarter had never been physically chastised.
This follows earlier research from Duke University which showed that if a culture views spanking as the normal consequence for bad behavior, kids aren’t damaged by its occasional use because parents are less agitated and more consistent.
“This is more evidence to go alongside previous NZ-based research from Professor Fergusson at Christchurch School of Medicine and from Otago University showing that light smacking is not child abuse, is actually beneficial when used in a positive and loving family environment, and should definitely not be a criminal offence in this country,” says Mr McCoskrie.
“Law-abiding kiwi parents are being forced to change their parenting techniques based on flawed and unproven ideology. Yet these techniques are proven to be beneficial to raising law-abiding and positive members of society.”
“It’s time the government listened to the thorough and balanced research on smacking and the concerns of parents and grandparents raising or who have raised great kids, rather than the flawed ideology and scaremongering of government funded groups which should be focusing on actual child abuse.”
ENDS
For More Information and Media Interviews, contact Family First:
Bob McCoskrie – National Director Mob. 027 55 555 42
Sign up now to received FREE email updates of issues affecting families – be informed! http://www.familyfirst.org.nz/index.cfm/Sign_Up -
Protect Children From Sexualisation and Abuse – Priority 2010
MEDIA RELEASE
31 December 2009
Protect Children From Sexualisation and Abuse – Priority 2010
WORK STILL TO BE DONE TO GIVE PARENTS CERTAINTY ON SMACKING LAW…
Family First NZ has released its annual list of the top family issues to be tackled, and heading the list for 2010 is the protection of children from ‘corporate pedophilia’ and reducing the ‘raunch culture’ which is harming the self-esteem, body image and academic performance of young people – especially young girls.
“The recent marketing of sexualised shirts by Cotton On Kids to be worn by babies, the provocative Little Losers line targeted at young teenagers by clothing store Jay Jays, sexually charged billboard advertising in public places, and graphic sexual music videos, dolls, and tween magazines and websites which encourage young people to look older and act older are examples of marketers crossing the line of what is acceptable and appropriate for our communities and for the protection of our children,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.
“A premature interest in a sexy appearance, an obsession about body image as a teenager, and an undermining of the social prohibition against seeing children as sexual objects and sexually attractive, are all huge warning flags that profits are currently more important than protecting the wellbeing of our children.”
Also in the list is a call to establish a Royal Commission of Enquiry into the real causes of child abuse, and a number of measures to recognise and respect the role of parents, including parental notification laws and amending the anti-smacking law to give parents certainty under the law.
The list calls for the urgent establishment of an independent CYF Complaints Authority, and amending the prostitution law to protect communities and families from street prostitution and residential brothels.
“There is still huge work to be done on reducing our child abuse rates, but also making sure that CYF and other statutory agencies don’t overstep their levels of intervention. The government is also hoping that the smacking debate will disappear, but while parents are trying to raise law abiding productive members of society, the debate will not be going away. It will become an election issue if the government doesn’t act to amend this law.”
“The current government is attempting to stay clear of anything that might suggest social engineering,” says Mr McCoskrie.
“But there are a number of social issues which this government must tackle if they wish to be respected by parents trying to raise children in an increasingly difficult culture which undermines their efforts.”
ENDS
For More Information and Media Interviews, contact Family First:
Bob McCoskrie JP – National Director
Mob. 027 55 555 42
FULL LIST
1. Laws and Codes of Advertising to protect children/young people from sexualised images and marketing of sexual messages towards children
The Australian Childhood Foundation released a report in Apr 2007, which showed that problem sexual behaviour in children as young as six, often appears to be influenced by sex imagery in the media. This is challenging the previously held view that most child sex abusers were responding to having being abused themselves.
And a recent report by the American Psychological Association points to the dangers when sexualisation leads to girls viewing themselves as objects and having an unhealthy preoccupation with appearance. The pressure can lead to depression, eating disorders, and poor academic performance.
Advertisements for kids’ products should not include sexual imagery, imply that children are sexual beings, or imply that owning a product will enhance a child’s sexuality.
As prominent Australian psychologist Steve Biddulph said, “…smarter parents protect their kids, but as the media environment and the shopping malls deteriorate, the kids with not very bright parents have their mental healthy and sexual health degraded.”
There is also research suggesting that pedophilia and child pornography is being driven by the sexualisation of children in mainstream marketing.
2. Parental notification
A parent is required to sign a note giving permission for a child to go on a school trip to the zoo but does not have to be notified or give consent if the same daughter wants to use contraception or have an abortion, and can actually be sneaked off for the procedure by Family Planning or the school nurse. Some young girls have been targeted for vaccines by family doctors without the knowledge of the parents.
If parents are expected to support and raise their children to be law-abiding and positive members of our society, then these same parents should be kept informed and involved in the ongoing welfare of that child, and not undermined by laws which isolate children from their parents.
3. Establishing a Royal Commission of Enquiry into Child Abuse
We must take pro-active action and tackle head-on the difficult issues of family breakdown, drug and alcohol abuse, violence in our media, mental illness, low maternal age, and other key factors identified by the various UNICEF, CYF and Children’s Commissioner reports.
Since the passing of the anti-smacking law, there has been a continual stream of child abuse cases and the rate of child abuse deaths has continued at the same rate as before the new law with at least 18 deaths since the law was passed. Sue Bradford was right when she said that her law was never intended to deal with the problem of child abuse.
Children will never be safe until we are honest enough as a country to identify and tackle the real causes of child abuse. An independent Inquiry free of political correctness and agendas would be an important first step
4. Amending the anti-smacking law to provide certainty for parents
The Prime Minister has confused parents by saying recently that a light smack is completely ok and should not be treated as a criminal offence, yet only a few months earlier admitting that the effect of the law is that smacking is a criminal offence.
The recent unbalanced and superficial review was another government-funded sales pitch for a flawed law which has been resoundingly rejected by New Zealanders. John Key promised ‘comfort’ for parents, but it’s not comforting when he ignores almost 90% in a referendum, and retains a law which he admits is a ‘dog’s breakfast’, badly drafted, and extremely vague.
A law that requires so many compromises, guidelines, helplines, reviews, and parent education could be easily fixed with a simple amendment – the Boscawen amendment. The politicians should demand a conscience vote on this issue, and the law should give parents certainty as to whether they are parenting within the law or not.
5. Establishing an Independent CYF Complaints Authority
Families who claim to have been unfairly treated by CYF social workers have no independent body to appeal to. This is grossly unfair when families are at risk, ignored, or are being ripped apart often just based on the subjective judgment of a social worker.
An independent CYF Complaints Authority is also in the best interests of social workers as it will provide an independent body to ensure that appropriate policy and procedures have been followed. This will result in public confidence and accountability for actions and decisions by CYF workers.
There is a Health and Disability Commissioner, a Police Complaints Authority, even a Motor Vehicle Disputes Tribunal. We desperately need an independent body to hear complaints about the highly sensitive nature of intervening in families.
6. Amend the prostitution law to protect communities and families from street prostitution and residential brothels
The politicians gave local communities a ‘hospital pass’ when they changed the law and left the local councils the impossible job of balancing the requirements of the law with the huge concerns of families. They cannot now ignore the pleas from communities throughout NZ who are saying that the decriminalisation of prostitution has been a spectacular failure.
The opposition to a residential based brothel in the Wellington area, opposition to a brothel in the main street of Dannevirke, opposition to brothels being zoned for the main shopping areas in Lower Hutt, opposition to a sex parlour operating in the same building as a preschool in Wellington, Hamilton City Council’s successful restriction on residential brothels, and attempts by the Manukau City Council to tackle the problems of street prostitution, shows that communities are not accepting the liberalised laws.
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