Parents should help their kids be media savvy
You should reassure your son about his own reaction. He has done nothing wrong, and he is justified in feeling upset about this.
Then you and your husband need to talk to your kids about porn, violence and media literacy. The omnipresence of this material in modern life means that children will be exposed to it at an early age. Stumbling across it (or deliberately finding it) is very different from having a bully shove it in your face.
Assure your son that he can always come to you with any concerns, and reassure him that he is basically a rock star who is already more mature than his peers.
He should try out and rehearse various responses. Boys who are bullied sometimes have success with a bored-seeming: "Dude, get a life" reaction. This is both worldly and self-protective.
Dear Amy: My father passed away three years ago at the age of 80. At the last minute, his significant other wasn't up to making the decisions concerning his final arrangements.
She took care of dad for a long time when he was ill, and she couldn't do more.
My problem is that I am feeling guilty about having him cremated. I had little time to prepare, no money for a funeral (the town paid for cremation) and was an emotional wreck.
I'm the most responsible out of four adult children, so I put it all on myself.
It has been haunting me. I was never able to ask dad what his wishes were. He was very afraid of dying. We have no religion, so I don't have that guideline.
My siblings seem OK with my decision, but I am feeling upset over it now. I wish I had known what his wishes were.
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