Protecting Minds and Hearts: WFWP Programs for Young Mothers Launched
As a mother of two young boys, ages 5 and 18 months, I often think about how I can create an environment for them to grow, flourish, and feel to their bones that they are valued and loved. At WFWP, we believe that mothers play such a critical role in our children’s development, especially in those early years. Our founder, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, has said, “The role of the mother in cultivating character and raising her children to have healthy, wholesome natures is the highest function of motherhood. In fulfilling this role, mothers truly represent the heart of God.” Our role as mothers is so important while at the same time motherhood can be quite challenging. Understanding that mothers also need empowerment, support, and nurturing in order to be our best selves, WFWP USA recently launched a program especially for young mothers.
On May 12, 2021, we held our first program, “Protecting Minds and Hearts: Tips and tools for preparing our children for today’s hypersexualized culture” presented by Dawn Hawkins, Executive Director of the National Center on Sexual Exploitation. This important topic couldn’t have come sooner. On average, children are exposed to pornography around the age 11. As of 2020, kids under the age of 10 now account for 22 percent of online porn consumption among those under 18. In our digital age, it’s no longer a question of if our children will be exposed to pornography (or even so-called “soft-porn”), but a question of when, and how we as parents can prepare our children to process and respond and with our loving support. During the live program, 35 mothers of young children, grandparents, and aunties joined in the discussion and to hear practical tips from Ms. Hawkins.
Ms. Hawkins shared much of her wisdom on this topic, from her experience working to combat the porn industry and as a mother of young children herself. While the reality is very sobering—with the negative impacts of low self-esteem, anxiety, self-objectification, decreased empathy, and more—there is a lot of hope, especially if parents are knowledgeable and we build strong relationships with our children. With those relationships based on communication and compassion, our children can feel safe to share about experiences that scared or confused them, such as accidentally seeing a pornographic image, being solicited for sexual favors from a stranger online, or other situations. Ms. Hawkins also shared many age-appropriate conversations (starting even at 5 years old) we can have with our children right now, even before they enter the digital world, so that we can mindfully and continuously guide them through their relationship with technology.
The good news is that there are also many more resources available and organizations providing tools for parents and grandparents, including the National Center on Sexual Exploitation.
The recording of Ms. Hawkins’ presentation as well as the resources handout she shared is available at www.wfwp.us/yomo. There will be more programs for young mothers in the future to help guide us in this journey of motherhood, so stay tuned!