Good morning,
Practice makes perfect! Have you made this statement to your children or grandchildren as you are encouraging them to keep trying to connect the bat to the ball, spend some time with a band instrument or repeat multiplication tables? It is common sense that the more time we spend repeating a skill or activity the more proficient we become. Eventually many of these skills will become second nature. Many of our young people are “practicing” unhealthy relationships as teens. Relationships can be confusing. Possessiveness, jealously and isolation, all warning signs of an unhealthy relationship are often confused with love. These and other abusive behaviors can be normalized during the adolescent years resulting in adults who have much more difficulty breaking the cycle. Our teens need help practicing healthy relationships so they can have better relationships in the future. They need caring adults in their lives to educate them and encourage them to “practice” healthy!
Please help us to stop dating violence before it starts! Become informed and please join Haven in bringing awareness to Dating Violence by wearing orange on Feb. 9th and posting a photo on Haven’s Facebook page.
WEARING ORANGE on FEBRUARY 9th
- Nearly 1.5 million high school students nationwide experience physical abuse from a dating partner in a single year.
- 1 in 3 girls in the US is a victim of physical, emotional or verbal abuse from a dating partner, a figure that far exceeds rates of other types of youth violence.
- 1 in 10 high school students has purposefully hit, slapped or physically hurt by a boyfriend or girlfriend.
SOME OF THESE STUDENTS LIVE IN OTTAWA COUNTY!
- Only 33% of teens who were in an abusive relationship ever told anyone about the abuse.
- 81% of parents believe teen dating violence is not an issue or admit they don’t know if it is an issue. (loveisrespect)
More information at https://loveisrespect.org/
A great article on warning signs your teen is in an unhealthy relationship and how you can help: https://www.verywellfamily.com/unhealthy-relationship-signs-in-teens-4065362.
If you have questions or concern about your relationship or the relationship of someone you know…Haven advocates are here to listen and walk you through the next steps.
Our advocates are here to help!
Haven Office: 918-554-2836
Text Line: 918.533.3070
Crime Victim Advocate: 541.602.0616
Program Website: https://havenprogram.com/
Program Email: havenprogram@estoo.net
Facebook: HAVEN Tribal Program, Twitter: @ProgramHaven, Instagram: HAVENTRIBALProgram.
