One group of 31 girls was given  a book that had an overweight character who suffered from lack of self-esteem and teasing because of her size, but as the story progresses she begins making healthier life-style choices and she starts to feel more confident about herself, developing a more positive attitude. The book that the second group of 33 girls read did not have an overweight character in it; and the third group of 17 girls was not given a book at all.

After six months, all the girls lost weight, but the girls in the first group lost the most, and there was noticeable improvement in their self-esteem.

The name of the book is Lake Rescue and it’s in the Beacon Street Girls Series, which is popular in with the 9-13 age group.

Hey, to all the fiction writers of books for girls. I see a market here for series of books that are fun and captivating for the adolescent girl market, that have messages of making healthy lifestyle choices. Books that aren’t afraid to deal with the issues that adolescent girls face today, and present positive choices for more positive outcomes.

A survey conducted by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy contained  questions on the subject of  ’sexting’  and some of the findings are:

Number of teens who say they have sent/posted nude or semi-nude photos of videos of themselves:

• —20% of teens overall
• —22% of teen girls
• —18% of teen boys
• —11% of young teen girls (ages 13-16)

Number of teens who are sending or posting sexually suggestive messages:

• —39% of all teens
• —37% of teen girls
• —-40% of teen boys
• —-48% of teens say they have received such messages

How common is it for these images to be shared with others:

• 44% of both teen girls and teen boys say it is common
  for sexually suggestive text messages to get
  shared with people other than the intended recipient.

  36% of teen girls and 39% of teen boys say it is common
  for nude or semi-nude photos to get shared

Why do they do it?

• 51% of teen girls say pressure from a guy is a reason
  girls send sexy messages or images; only 18% of
  teen boys cited pressure from female counterparts
  as a reason.
• 23% of teen girls and 24% of teen boys say they were
  pressured by friends to send or post sexual content.

Here’s a heart-breaking story of the suicide of a 13-year-old girl, and the downward spiral  that began with her sending a nude photo of herself to a boy she liked:

http://tinyurl.com/yzvcs3v

Here are some tips taken from the National Campaign’s survey

5 TIPS TO HELP PARENTS TALK TO THEIR
KIDS ABOUT SEX AND TECHNOLOGY”
Talk to your kids about what they are doing in cyberspace.
Just as you need to talk openly and honestly with your kids
about real life sex and relationships, you also want to discuss
online and cell phone activity. Make sure your kids fully understand
that messages or pictures they send over the Internet
or their cell phones are not truly private or anonymous.
Also make sure they know that others might forward their
pictures or messages to people they do not know or want
to see them, and that school administrators and employers
often look at online profiles to make judgments about potential
students/employees. It’s essential that your kids grasp
the potential short-term and long-term consequences of their actions.
Know who your kids are communicating with.
Of course it’s a given that you want to know who your children
are spending time with when they leave the house. Also
do your best to learn who your kids are spending time with
online and on the phone. Supervising and monitoring your
kids’ whereabouts in real life and in cyberspace doesn’t make
you a nag; it’s just part of your job as a parent. Many young
people consider someone a “friend” even if they’ve only met
online. What about your kids?

Consider limitations on electronic communication.
The days of having to talk on the phone in the kitchen in
front of the whole family are long gone, but you can still limit
the time your kids spend online and on the phone. Consider,
for example, telling your teen to leave the phone on the
kitchen counter when they’re at home and to take the laptop
out of their bedroom before they go to bed, so they won’t be
tempted to log on or talk to friends at 2a.m.

Be aware of what your teens are posting publicly.
Check out your teen’s MySpace, Facebook and other public
online profiles from time to time. This isn’t snooping—this is
information your kids are making public. If everyone else can
look at it, why can’t you? Talk with them specifically about
their own notions of what is public and what is private. Your
views may differ but you won’t know until you ask, listen, and
discuss.

Set expectations.
Make sure you are clear with your teen about what you consider
appropriate “electronic” behavior. Just as certain clothing
is probably off-limits or certain language unacceptable
in your house, make sure you let your kids know what is and
is not allowed online either. And give reminders of those expectations
from time to time. It doesn’t mean you don’t trust
your kids, it just reinforces that you care about them enough
to be paying attention.

Tune in to the live workshops at
http://www.talkshoe.com/talkshoe/web/talkCast.jsp?masterId=13472&cmd=tc

I’ll be speaking today at 2pm PST on the topic- “The Heat is On – Techniques To Protect You and Your Daughter from Becoming Culture War Casualties.

As you move into 2010, are any ghosts of 2009 haunting you? You know, those pounds you resolved 360 days ago to lose, are not quite gone?  Or maybe you didn’t quite reach a goal you swore you would? Good intentions didn’t quite pan out the way you planned?

For me personally, there are some things I had planned that didn’t quite make it to fulfillment. And I know with some things I got distracted. Or I procrastinated. Or I didn’t follow through as well as I could have.  And then life just threw some unexpected things in there because…life happens.

But what can you do about what didn’t happen, or you didn’t make happen? At this point, the best thing is to forgive yourself and move on.  

Take time to rejoice in what you did accomplish! With what you didn’t accomplish, assess to the best of your ability why things happened the way they did, see what changes you need to make, make your plan, and move on.

2010 can be your best year ever.