The American Psychological Association (APA) warns that this sexualization of girls is harmful to their self-image and healthy development. “[Girls are] experiencing teen pressures at younger and younger ages. However, they are not able to deal with these issues because their cognitive development is out of sync with their social, emotional and sexual development,” the APA reported.

The proliferation of sexual images also undermines a girl’s confidence in her own body. In fact, research links sexualization with three of the most common mental health problems diagnosed in girls and women – eating disorders, low self-esteem and depression.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the cultural influences bombarding our daughters.
Suggestive fashion

Have you shopped for girls’ clothing lately? Toddlers to teens are inundated with adult fashions. Pop singer Beyonce now has her own clothing line that introduces the red-light district to the school lunchroom.

Popular clothing items among teens include thong underwear and shorts displaying suggestive words across the backside. The abundance of racy clothing emphasizes the message: Dress sexy.
Tarted-up toys

As young girls, most moms probably owned Barbie dolls and enjoyed collecting their clothing and accessories. Mattel today takes style to a new level with the introduction of Black Canary Barbie for adult collectors. Designed as a comic-book character, this doll is dressed in fishnet hose, a leather bikini bottom and a black leather jacket. She’s available in toy stores, right next to Ballerina Barbie. Explain that to your preschooler.

To read more, click here

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From MSNBC.com

WAUSAU, Wis. – A central Wisconsin man accused of killing his 11-year-old daughter by praying instead of seeking medical care was found guilty Saturday of second-degree reckless homicide.

Dale Neumann, 47, was convicted in the March 23, 2008, death of his daughter, Madeline, from undiagnosed diabetes. Prosecutors contended he should have rushed the girl to a hospital because she couldn’t walk, talk, eat or drink. Instead, Madeline died on the floor of the family’s rural Weston home as people surrounded her and prayed. Someone called 911 when she stopped breathing.

Sitting straight in his chair, Neumann stared at the jury as the verdict in a nearly empty courtroom was read. He declined comment as he left the courthouse.

To read more, click here

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From Gospel.com

Tears were streaming down her face. Her daddy said, “What is the matter, Honey? Why are you crying?” She said, “Daddy, don’t you know?” He said, “No darling, what is it?” She pressed into his big chest and sobbed, “I don’t want you to go back!” Many of us have probably witnessed this with our own children and husbands. I was that little girl 35 years ago, telling my dad that I didn’t want him to go back to Vietnam.

Years later, tears flowed in our house when my husband, Eric, was preparing to return to Iraq after having been gone for a year. The day Eric left will always remain vivid in my mind; as moments ticked away, we videotaped Eric with the kids. They clung to him, and we said heart-wrenching things.

With this being our second yearlong deployment, we knew all too well the dangers that lay ahead. This time, though, as a battalion commander, Eric would be out daily in his HMMWV (High-Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle) in an area that includes the town of Tarmiyah-part of the Sunni triangle. I knew all the facts and figures; how many lives the previous battalion had lost due to IEDs, the hours of casualty notification, and also that Eric’s predecessor had been targeted by the very same people he was meeting with to help democracy take hold.

To read more, click here

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One thing we know here at Elev8 is that images are powerful.  We hope you are blessed by the families who shared their photos with us.  A special shout out goes out to Camille C. and the Austin Chapter of Mocha Moms.  Good Lookin’ Out, Ladies! Thank you Elev8 family for sharing your precious photos.  God has truly blessed you all!  Happy Father’s Day!

Listen below as Roland Martin explains the importance of black fathers.

For more Father’s Day love, check out the fabulous results of NewsOne’s Father’s Day Poll here!

Elev8’s own Sharnell Blevins’ moving Father’s Day tribute here!

From The Today Show

The joy on this little girl’s face moved my heart.  What a beautiful picture of a father-daughter relationship.  I believe it is just a glimpse of what it will be like when we get to see our Father in glory. Enjoy this reunion, Family. Please leave your comments. They will post once approved.  Thank you!

Well, it’s finally here! Mother’s Day has arrived. Ladies, get all you can and can all you get! Because next month it’s the guys’ turn, and they ain’t playin’ around with Father’s Day. Soak up all the love, display all your flowers, eat all your candy (well, not in one sitting), and read every single card – twice. Bask in the glow of your family’s approval and appreciation. Wish everyone you see a happy mother’s day and floss, floss, floss in your new church outfit!

It is right and good to enjoy a hard-earned rest and to celebrate with our loved ones. Even if you find yourself handling preparations this Mother’s Day, be thankful, because it probably means that your mother is still living. Praise God! He hand-picked her for you and you for her. He did the same for you and your children. Remember, in his perfect wisdom he knows the exact combination of good and “bad” experiences needed in your life to mold your character into that of our Savior’s. So even if your mom was more of a “horrible warning” rather than a “good example,” thank God for her anyway.

My best friend and author, Ingrid Michelle, who is a mother and daughter herself, reminds me often, “Chew the meat and spit out the bones, Sheeri.” And I find that I am able to apply that philosophy to almost every area of my life – especially to my relationship with Mommy. I have learned a lot from my mother – some good, some less than good. Likewise, my children are learning from me (Father, I hope what they are learning is mostly good). With four of my own, I can honestly say that I understand my mother so much better than I did before having children. And I have come to the conclusion that although there were some bones, Mommy gave me a lot of good meat!

Because of her guidance, love, patience, and extremely high standards in – oh everything – I am more of the woman God created me to be. Even our struggles (read: infighting) have worked in my favor. It seems God has blessed us with identical temperaments, which often work as much against us as they do for us. Did I mention that our Father has a sense of humor? But He also works in everything for my good. To that end, he has used my mother to push me to examine my beliefs, to remind me to take no blessing for granted, and to maintain a standard of excellence as the starting point of my daily existence.

My life is richer because I am Vera Caldwell’s daughter. I hope that you can say the same about your mother. And if you can’t, honor her anyway, even if it’s only in your heart. Because one thing is certain, however you categorize your relationship with your mother, without her, you would not be here.  That alone is reason enough to bless her and to praise God!  Happy Mother’s Day!

Honor Your Mother – Part of the 4th Commandment – But what does it look like in my life?

On this side of adulthood, honoring my mom is very different from what it looked like when I was a child. Then, I showed my respect primarily through obedience. But since she is no longer my covering, that obedience has been transferred to my husband under the name submission, I must learn to renegotiate the deference she is due. I am an adult by anyone’s standards – married with four chi’ren.  I have a vocation as well as an avocation. In other words, I’s grown nah. So what does this mean for Mommy (yes, I still call her that)?

As she is getting on in years, the best way I can honor her is to include her. We no longer share the same home state, so my life and that of my family isn’t as accessible to her as it once was. She’s not a big web person, so Facebook and Twitter are out of the question (although she did recently get an email account – so there’s hope). Now (as always) a simple phone call placed for no particular reason works well – when I find the time. Perhaps, that’s the key – to make time. For so many years, I was a top priority in her life, as my children are in mine and my husband’s. My mother invested much time and incalculable resources into my upbringing, offering me the best she had to offer, encouraging – even daring me to go as far as I could. Now that I no longer need her to parent me, I can make it a priority to befriend her…to make time for her – to call her more regularly than I already do. More importantly, I can train my children to do likewise. Their generation knows even less than mine about honoring their elders. It is incumbent upon me to pass on the Truth I know. On a more embarrassing note, I certainly don’t want my children to learn how to neglect their own mother by watching me do it to mine. So I will honor my mother not only by calling her more often, but also by refusing to groan at the “urgent” news gleaned from the latest episode of Oprah that will surely prompt her next phone call.

God, bless my mother. And by the way, Lord, thank you.

Contributing Editor Melanie Clark interviews former BET News anchor and host of Black Enterprises Our World about his new organization, Daddy’s Promise. Daddy’s Promise encourages black men to be engaged and involved in the lives of their daughters, to foster self esteem and bolster self worth.  He is currently on a several city church and college tour sharing his message intended to help strengthen the black family.  More information at daddyspromise.com