loveisrespect Blog

As National Teen Dating Violence Awareness and  Prevention Week (February 4-8th) approaches, we’re glad to see schools are hosting events that focus on the issue of dating abuse.

On January 31st,  Wayland High School in Wayland, MA will present a production of  The Yellow Dress, a one-woman play focusing on dating violence to junior and senior students during the school day. Deana’s Educational Theater, a production company established in 1994 after the death of Deana Brisbois, will perform the play.

If you’ve ever seen The Yellow Dress, leave us a comment.

 We’re so excited to announce the winners of our dating bill of rights video contest. Ashley Hoyle of Wichita, Kansas won first place for her very cool video (below). Second and third places went to groups of students in Buffalo, New York for their videos, We Have the Right and Don’t Become a Statistic.

We really appreciate the effort everyone took in creating in their videos. Also, much thanks to those who took the time to watch the videos and vote.

 I just found out last night that last week, my daughter’s boyfriend slammed her head against his car window a few times while they were arguing. She isn’t hurt now, but I am very worried about her. My daughter knows this is wrong but she believes it won’t happen again. My daughter is 18, so I can’t make her do anything. But what can I do?

You’re obviously right to be concerned for your daughter. While she may really believe this won’t happen again, this isn’t usually the case with physical abuse.

If you can, discuss the situation in a very low pressure way with her and ask if she might consider giving loveisrespect a call. A peer advocate can talk to her about abusive relationships and help her make a plan to safely end this relationship when she’s ready. All of our calls and chats are confidential. She doesn’t even have to give her name.

Some things you might suggest to your daughter:

* Try not to be alone with her boyfriend.

* Keep a cell phone with her and use it to call for help if needed.

* Try talking to a counselor locally (alone).

This is truly a difficult situation for a parent. Trying to force your daughter to make a decision about this relationship will likely only push her further from you. Let her know you’re concerned and available for support. Consider calling us yourself if you’d like to talk more about the situation.

*We don’t generally answer questions in detail through email. If you have a question or concern about dating abuse in your life, please call us or log in to our live chat.  This is a representation of a question only.