Jacqueline Laurita has gained a reputation for being a vocal advocate for her child. For the most part, that's a good thing. But TheReal Housewives of New Jersey star and husband Chris Manzo have proven you can be a little TOO vocal about your kids.
In a preview of this weekend's RHONJ episode, Laurita and Manzo are seen out to dinner talking about son CJ becoming more like a man every day. And by that, I mean talking about his, ahem, manly habits.
And by manly habits, well, I'll just come right out and say it. His parents did.
They think CJ Manzo masturbates. After all, Chris admits he started at 11; Jacqueline in sixth grade.
They're probably right about their son. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents that MOST kids masturbate and that it's completely normal. The doctors advise parents not to freak out, noting, "A child who masturbates is not oversexed, promiscuous, or sexually deviant."
Good on Jacqueline and Chris for recognizing that their kid is just a sexually healthy human being, not a freak.
But did they really need to discuss it on national television? Can't this kid have SOME secrets?
Shouldn't all kids have the right to keep these matters to themselves?
The RHONJ stars are in the unique position of being on television, but they are hardly the only (or for that matter, the worst) offenders. Parents like to talk about what is going on in their kids' lives with one another, often lamenting and/or bragging to friends.
Go check out your Facebook feed, and you're bound to see at least 15 or 20 status updates on everything from "how do I get my toddler to poop in the toilet?" to "my daughter aced her karate belt test!"
Talking about our kids is part of being parents. But protecting our kids is ALSO part of being parents.
The older they get, the less we should share.
Some information, when it gets out, can be used by bullies to target our kids. It can be used by their friends to tease them. It can haunt them in countless ways for a good, long time. Subjects as taboo as pleasuring oneself are at the tippy top of that list.
Just think of it this way: would YOU have wanted the whole school knowing you liked to flick the bean or whack off when you were a teenager?
Then don't do that to your kid!
What subjects have you decided to stop talking about now that your kids are older?
Image via Bravo