Owner: Virtue Alert URL:www.virtuealert.blogspot.com Join Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 22:40:36 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: The rants and raves of an author mom smack-dab in the trenches of teen culture. Virtue Alert is the official blog page for author, Vicki Courtney, who has written numerous parenting books. She created the blog as proof that she's anything but an expert... Site statistics:Click here
A sad state of affairs (cont.) 2008-03-13 15:02:01 As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I want to share a few talking points that I have used in discussing the fallout of sex outside of marriage with my own three teens. First, let me start by saying how deeply grieved I am over the CDC's recent findings. As someone who has been sounding the alarm for over a decade about the damaging influences from our hyper-sexualized culture, the statistics only confirmed what I have suspected all along: There will be a tremendous price to pay for those who buy the culture's lies...primarily for our young women. Perhaps one of the most surprising findings of the study was how quickly young women contracted STDs after becoming sexually active. According to the study almost one in five young women will contract an STD within one year of losing their virgini
Why I refuse to tube behind the boat: Reason #2 2008-03-17 11:40:58 This is the clip taken after maniacal boat-driving madman threw Ryan, Hayden, and their two friends off the tube. Does this look fun? I mean, seriously. Even though it was 90 degrees and sunny outside, the water was a frigid, teeth-chattering 60 degrees. Read more:Reason
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Why I refuse to tube behind the boat: Reason #1 2008-03-17 11:38:00 My normally clean-cut, risk-averse husband has a maniacal side to him that I discovered soon after we bought our boat. Which is of course why I will never allow him to pull me behind
the boat on the tube. My job on the boat for the last two years has been to 1) document maniacal moments of above-mentioned-boat-driving madman, 2) obtain liability release waivers from kids' friends, and 3) pray. Read more:Reason
The baby is fifteen...say it isn't so. 2008-03-16 17:55:29 Fifteen. Seriously? Fifteen is so....almost sixteen. And sixteen is so...almost eighteen. And eighteen is so...almost time to pack up and move away for college. Ugh. Someone please stop the clock!In honor of Hayden's 15th birthday, here are 15 bits of trivia about my boy:1. Hayden was my biggest baby, tipping the scales at 9 lbs. 1/2 ounce. 2. I went natural, but don't be impressed--I didn't want to. I was begging for an Epidural but the Anesthesiologist didn't make it in time. :(3. The first thing I recall the nurse saying when he was born was, "Would you look at the dimples on that boy?" When she handed him to me, it was love at first sight.4. When Hayden was 5 weeks old, he had surgery for Pyloric Stenosis, a blockage in the stomach that causes projectile vomiting. In his toddler years,
Why MTV abstains from mentioning abstinence 2008-03-18 15:27:09 I thought you might enjoy these laughable snippets from an article that ran on MTV.com regarding the CDC's new finding that one in four teen girls has an STD. Gee, do you think they have an agenda? See if you can't identify some faulty logic in their statements. (My comments are italicized)"There should not be a freak-out factor over this," Wyand* said. "But it should be sobering and remind us that we have to utilize the prevention tools that we do have."And what might those "prevention tools" be, Mr. Wyand? Would abstinence be a viable prevention tool worth mentioning to teens?"It is always important to use protection when engaging in sexual intercourse, but condoms aren't a guarantee against HPV."So, let me get this straight: Condoms are a "prevention tool" but they aren't a guarantee ag
Spread the word! 2008-03-18 14:45:11 Check out this very cool link from LifeWay to a video postcard for the You and Your Girl event!If you have a tween or teen daughter, I sure hope to see you at one of the four events scheduled in 2008! Click here for the 2008 schedule. I promise you it will be worth the plane fare, gas money, and hours spent in the car to get there. Will you get a group together and come? It's time to wage war against this decadent culture! Read more:Spread
Is that a picture of your daughter playing beer pong on Facebook? 2008-03-18 12:17:31 If you have a child in 7th-12th grade, it's time to twirl your big toe in the uncharted waters of Facebook
and MySpace. I am a big proponent of Proverbs 22:6 parenting and if we are to "train our child in the way he/she should go," we must better understand the key role social networking sites play in the lives of tweens and teens...even if they are not on the sites yet. In fact, I would argue that preventive parenting is far more valuable than reactive parenting. More often than not, I see parents take an interest in the social networking sites only when something has gone wrong and they are forced to log on and address the matter. That is, if they can even figure out how to get on the site and access their child's profile! I can't even begin to count the number of "emergency inquiries"
Attention budding writers! 2008-03-17 23:11:24 Virtuousreality.com, my online magazine for middle and high school girls is hosting a writing contest for aspiring writers (of all ages!). From time to time, we feature articles from guest writers and in return offer a byline to the guest writer's homepage or blog. If you have a message for teen girls, this is a great way to expose your message to a subscriber base of over 6000 teen girls (on our mailing list alone) who receive email updates to the site every other week. Here are the basics:* Articles must be 450-700 words in length.* Article topics must be relevant and center around a verse or passage of scripture.* Articles should be turned in clean...no rough drafts, please.* Articles must be submitted prior to midnight on March 25th.We will announce three winners who will each receive
Flashback Friday: Easter. 2008-03-21 10:43:44 Vintage 1991, Easter
Sunday: My oldest son (19 now) may not speak to me after seeing this picture and honestly, I can't say I blame him. When I show it to him later, I plan to apologize profusely and hand him a $20 bill. When you're in college, that goes a lot further than an apology. What in the world was I thinking? Was I aiming for the Jr. Candy Striper look? Better yet, give this boy an ice cream cart and a fanny pack and put him to work on a boardwalk right next to the ferris wheel. In my defense, ensembles that include hats, suspenders, and the like, are perfectly acceptable fashion choices for the male persuasion prior to the age of three and after the age of eighty. Actually, I made that up, but just typing it soothed my mother's guilt a tad.On a more serious note, seeing this pict Read more:Friday
Perhaps, I should have had another child? 2008-03-20 10:19:50 I promise you bloggie friends--this is my only similarity to Britney and Paris. Yes, we share a common love for the Yorkie pocket pup--this Spring's must-have arm candy. I realize that in posting this picture, I run the risk of losing your respect, but alas, it is what it is. Even my sons have figured out the benefit of taking Scout and Lexie on the boat. Every teen girl on Lake LBJ within a mile radius boats by to ooh and ahh. At the dogs. Not my boys. I can however, assure you that my family would stage an intervention before it reaches this level:Not happening. Besides, I have never been a fan of the cheetah print. Zebra maybe, but not cheetah. And only if it comes with a skirted cover-up. Read more:child
From Barbie to Bratz to...Miss Bimbo? 2008-03-25 11:51:12 Remember back in the day when we worried about Barbie
's unrealistic proportions sending the wrong message to our girls? Or what about those tarty Bratz
dolls with their painted faces and closets full of pint-size hooker wear? And then there was Abercrombie's introduction of a line of thong underwear for girls (ages 7-14) with messages emblazoned on the front like "eye candy" and "wink, wink." Well, believe it or not, those concerns will hardly make the parent radar when it comes to a new website, MissBimbo
.com, which is beckoning for your daughter's attention.The "Miss Bimbo" Web site launched in the UK last month and is described as a "virtual fashion game for girls." The goal of the site is to become the "hottest, coolest, most famous bimbo in the whole world." I promise I am not making
Repeat after me: Raising teens is a blast! 2008-03-24 12:33:31 Even though I write and speak about raising teens in a challenging culture, I would never want to leave the impression that it is a season of life to be dreaded. My husband and I absolutely LOVE raising teens and were reminded of that fact this past week while College Boy was home for Spring Break and our home was non-stop Grand Central Station. When it comes to parenting teens, no doubt, we've made plenty of mistakes along the way. However, on our list of things we've done right is making our home a welcome place for our kids and their friends to gather. I've mentioned before that when our oldest entered high school (nearly six years ago), we added a room onto the back of our home for the purpose of providing a safe teen hang-out. Of course, you don't have to take out a loan to draw teens Read more:Repeat
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Flashback Friday: Pre-liberation. 2008-03-28 07:55:41 "A girl's best friend is a Betty Crocker mix!""For girls who know boys who like to eat: A good date idea...""A Chef Boy-Ar-Dee pizza convinces boys there's no place like home"Vintage 1960, Seventeen Magazine: The ads bring to mind the old saying, "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach." Fast forward to Seventeen Magazines of today and the message appears to be, "The way to a man's heart is by showing your stomach...and then some." My, my, we've come along way, haven't we? I have a sudden urge to go bake something... Read more:Friday
It's all Greek to me... 2008-03-27 11:35:28 My darling daughter recently informed me that she is interested in going through sorority rush next fall. Given our busy summer, I thought it wise to check into the process to ensure we are ahead of the game. I mean come on, it's March and rush is in August, so no sweat, right? I was routed by an Auburn friend (and sorority alum) to a site that details the whole rush process and so I thought I'd pay the site a visit yesterday. Oh my. Lord have mercy on my non-Greek
soul. Apparently, this is a big deal. REC. Pref. Bid. Ice Water Teas. Skit day. And best of all, an excuse to shop.To top it off, I brought the subject up to a fellow mom whose daughter pledged a sorority last year and her comment was, "It was like a full time job getting all the REC letters together in time." And it was at that
American Idol: My top three picks 2008-03-26 18:06:43 Not being one to pass up a challenge, I have succumbed to some wholesome blogosphere peer pressure and decided to take part in BooMama's challenge to blog about AI. I am not much of a TV watcher, but American
Idol won my heart in its first season with the debut of Kelly Clarkson. So allow me to cast my vote for the top three contestants. And if I'm proven right weeks from now, you can expect that I will be back to say "I told you so." The final three will be.....drumroll please.....David Cook, Brooke White, and Jason Castro. Here's why:David Cook: I dare you to watch the clip above and not be moved. Seriously, I saw Michael Jackson perform this song live in concert back in 1984 when I was a college student and got goosebumps when he moondanced across the stage. I got the same goosebumps l Read more:American Idol
Your sins will find you out...and Juicy Campus is here to help! 2008-04-01 17:07:22 Imagine what you might get if you offer college students an anonymous forum to discuss issues shaking down on their campuses? Well, thanks to JuicyCampus
.com, gossip just went mainstream. What was once passed along in hushed whispers in locker rooms and at sleep-overs is now, documented on the Internet for all to see. Students need only visit the site and choose their respective campus to access the latest scoop. Want to know which freshman girls put out? Who has an STD? Which sororities/fraternities have the worst reputation? What happened over Spring Break? Juicy gossip about student athletes? JuicyCampus.com will provide the answers.Here are some recent topics I found when I accessed the site today:Who's the sluttiest girl at (college name omitted)? (57 replies, many include names)Where
Flashback Friday: The terrible two's. 2008-04-04 15:04:47 Vintage 1992: The little girl in this picture is approaching her 18th birthday next month and will walk across the stage at graduation in the weeks that follow. Sigh. I tried to get her to replicate the same stunt for the purpose of a great "then and now" blog post, but all I got was a roll of the eyes.Even though sixteen years has come and gone since this picture was taken, I can actually still remember the circumstances behind it. She wanted another box drink and I told her "no" because they were for her lunch box when she went to Mother's Day Out. And yeah, this was her response to my "no." It didn't go over real well. I know some of you are in this season right now, and let me just say that staging a sit-in (or technically in this case, a "hang-on") for an extra box drink is the least Read more:Friday
And the winners are.... 2008-04-03 10:50:27 A couple of weeks ago, we announced a contest for budding writers to submit article samples for our site for teen girls, virtuousreality.com. We were blown away by the quality and creativity of the articles submitted and it has been a tough challenge to chisel it down to a handful of winners. We previously said we would choose three winners, but we couldn’t narrow it down to just three, so we’re going with four. The winners will each receive a $10 Starbucks gift card and their article featured on virtuousreality.com site in the near future! We will also highlight the article and link to it in a future "In the Know" mail-out to our virtuousreality.com subscriber base that reaches over 6000 teen girls! Here we go...drumroll please...The winners are (in no order):Post Office Celebrity by:
Live on Glen Beck! 2008-04-08 13:03:17 Just found out about an hour ago that I will be on the Glen Beck Show today at 2:00 p.m. central. And yeah, it's 1:00 p.m. now, so I better run! I'll blog more about it later...
Attention mothers of girls! 2008-04-07 23:49:01 I could use your help in preparation for an upcoming event in Virginia. I will be giving a message to moms (of girls) entitled, "Putting the brakes on the rush to grow up." As part of the message, I will address some of the all-too-common "milestones" in today's culture that have caught many moms off guard and left them feeling a bit ill-prepared when it comes to raising a daughter. If you have a daughter, chances are you know what I'm talking about. Did your daughter ask to get her navel pierced at age 14? Want to wear thong underwear in middle school? Send a racy pic to a boy? Get invited to a coed camp out or sleepover? Beg to get a MySpace or Facebook page in 7th grade? Perhaps, you were shocked to discover she had a page already. Tell me about it. I'm talking about those moments that
Protecting your daughter from the new strain of mean girls 2008-04-09 20:12:02 By now, most of you have likely heard the media accounts about the Florida cheerleader who was beaten up by six other teens (some were fellow cheerleaders) until she was unconscious. When she awoke, they continued the beating while filming the attack and then capped their vengeance off by uploading it to YouTube (it has since been removed). After they were arrested, they were reported to be laughing and joking in their holding cell. One reportedly commented, "Guess we’re not going to go to the beach on this spring break" and another even asked the detective, ‘Am I going to be released in time to go to cheerleading practice tomorrow?" While I didn't get the opportunity to discuss the story on Glenn Beck (they ran out of time on the first interview and the follow-up segment was canceled) Read more:Protecting
Shout to the Lord!...American Idol gets it right this time! 2008-04-10 21:00:22 Can I just say WOW?!! In case you missed it, the remaining Idol contestants just performed an encore of "Shout to the Lord" (from last night) and this time got it right! Rather than sing the politically corrected version from last night ("My Shepherd, My Savior"), they belted out "My Jesus, My Savior, Lord there is none like You...Can I get an AMEN? Read more:American
, American Idol
Excuse me, but did they just sing "Shout to the Lord" on American Idol? 2008-04-10 12:15:19 I know there will be plenty of other bloggers who focus on other substantial highlights from American
Idol (America Gives Back segment) that aired last night. There was of course, the Miley Cyrus appearance and the cute banter segment with Billy Crystal, that adorably-cute-I-just-wanna-hug-her, Carrie Underwood, not to mention, the amazing documentaries that remind us how very blessed we are...not to mention, our responsibility to help those who are less fortunate. However, I want to give a standing ovation for the goose-bump moment at the end of the show when the contestants gathered on stage and sang, "Shout to the Lord" accompanied by a church choir singing behind them. Oh. my. goodness. My jaw dropped to the ground. I absolutely LOVE that song and I don't care how old it is, it will al Read more:American Idol
, Excuse
Flashback Friday: Forever friends. 2008-04-11 13:29:00 1991: My son Ryan (far right)with his two buds, Garrett and Dustin in front of their three year-old Sunday School class2006: All three boys in the same order at Senior Appreciation SundayPictures like this remind me of the timeless value of forever friends, not to mention, the benefits of sticking at the same church for 21 years! All three of these boys grew up in ministry families and have remained friends through the years. Garrett (left) and Dustin (middle), are the sons of our Pastor and Music Director, whose families just so happen to be our closest friends. These boys were "best buds" growing up and they are still "best buds," today, even as college boys. They never attended the same schools (including college), but they have logged countless hours in the church nursery, toddler depa Read more:Friday
, Forever
The Princess and the Prom 2008-04-15 08:41:29 Once upon a time, a nurse placed a tiny baby girl into her mother's arms and said, "Meet your Princess
." The mother smiled as she nestled that baby girl close to her and said a prayer for the little Princess.As she stared at the tiny, delicate features on her newborn Princess, her mind was filled with visions of Princess grandeur. She pictured the dance classes, tutus and pink ballet slippers.She smiled when she thought about the Easter dresses to come, with white lace tights and matching hair bows. She wondered if her Princess would enjoy doing princess things like playing dress up. She desperately hoped that her Princess would be a daddy's girl. She prayed her earthly father would shower her with unconditional love, so she would have a small glimpse of her heavenly Father's love. Finall
Yep, it's official--the baby has outgrown his mama 2008-04-14 08:21:25 I knew it was bound to happen someday, but I was still caught off guard when I saw this picture. We were headed out the door last night for Hayden's basketball banquet and Keith snapped a quick picture. You know how the preschool years at times seemed to be at a virtual standstill? Well, it's moments like this in the teen years when time seems to move at warp speed. Add to it, getting my daughter ready on Saturday evening for the Senior Prom and suddenly, I feel very....OLD. And did I mention that my oldest will turn 20 this June? Twenty. the big 2-0. Twenty, as in, not even a teen anymore. Which I guess would make me the mother of two teens and a....six foot grown man? Mercy. I need another cup of coffee...Prom pictures to follow later!
Teens + cell phones = homemade porn? 2008-04-16 08:57:07 Several weeks ago, I was spot checking my 15 year-old son's cell phone picture gallery and stumbled upon a photo of a navel piercing sent by a freshman girl. When I asked him about it, he said, "Oh yeah, she sent that to a bunch of the guys after she had it done." Lovely. Just lovely. Even though I've written a book addressing the fast-growing trend of swapping inappropriate pictures and video clips, I was still caught off guard when I saw the picture. Of course, we shouldn't be surprised in the least. In fact, allow me to be so bold as to say that rare will be the boy who can graduate high school without receiving some form of homemade porn on his cell phone. Sorry to depress you, but such is the reality when you arm hyper-sexualized teens with cell phones that have the ability to send an Read more:Teens
Flashback Friday: Daddy makeovers. 2008-04-17 22:09:43 Vintage 1993: I would say that hubby looks rather calm given that this was by far, one of the toughest seasons in our parenting journey. The kids were ages 4, 2, and one month. Need I say more? Something about seeing my now, almost 20 year-old college boy holding a pink hair dryer just makes me laugh. I think I'll send him a link to this post to get his reaction. And get a load of hubby's big wire-frame glasses and short shorts. Hands off, ladies--he's all mine. Honestly, there's nothing more attractive than a daddy who loves his kids. Especially one who'll wear a pink plastic smock. :)I'm off to Virginia for the first You and Your Girl event of 2008! Please say a prayer for everyone in attendance and that God will be glorified. I'll plan to post an update coming on Monday and let you know Read more:Friday
, Daddy
How about we have ourselves a progressive lunch party? 2008-04-17 11:20:02 Last week, I had to fill out a survey form for a church function and I got stumped on the following question:If you could have lunch with anyone in the world, who would you pick?Of course, I had to over-analyze the question and wonder if it was referring to actual living, breathing individuals in our world today or if it included people who have already departed this earth. I ended up leaving the question blank after staring at it for a good half hour. Problem is, I kept thinking about that question in the week that followed! Since it's a one shot deal, you certainly don't want to waste your one and only lunch with someone who ends up checking their Blackberry every three minutes and offering blank stares in response to your deep and thoughtful questions. Not to mention, my answer would ch Read more:ourselves
You and Your Girl/Virginia! 2008-04-21 17:05:19 The event was a wonderful success and I've just received word from LifeWay that there were: 9 Salvations, 14 Recommitments, and 4 Called to Christian Vocation!! Oh my! Thank you, God! Here are a few quotes from moms and girls that LifeWay received:"This weekend allowed me to see that I am not alone in the "mom world" andreaffirmed that I am "on track". I am so blessed to have had this opportunity to share with my girls. I wish something had been available like this for me and my mom. I hope and pray that my daughters will be able to remember this weekend as a stepping stone in their spiritual journey.""I loved it! It definitely made my mother and I waaaaaaay closer.""This is my first You & Your Girl event and I am truly impressed. Theyoung age group, the preteens so badly need this confe Read more:Virginia
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