Like most parents, I am very vigilant over what my kids (especially the 7 year-old) are allowed to watch on TV. Up until I now, I keep the sexual content to a bare minimum – violence is also a no-go. While I think that I will soon begin having conversations with my daughter about the birds and the bees, I don’t particularly agree with the way relationships are displayed in movies and on television. I’d like to think that for now their dad and I provide them with an example of a healthy relationship.

Well, no one warned me that walking around Caracas can be like watching an “R” rated movie. Now, I am usually oblivious to public displays of affection, but you can’t miss these. I mean, it’s quite common for us to see couples much more heated than this picture here – in the morning in a public park.

Thus, this has created a dilemma for talking to my daughter about the who, where and why. It doesn’t seem like she pays much attention, but I know she sees/hears everything. I was thinking of waiting for her to ask a question, but I’m wondering if she may be feeling awkward and afraid to ask. The plan is next time we come across a scene – which I’m sure will be the next time we step out of the house – to casually bring it and see what she says.

I may have been caught off guard with this phenomenon, but consider yourselves forewarned

Tags: Caracas, Cultural Adaptation, Cultural Assimilation, Cultural Norms in Venezuela, Public Displays of Affection in Venezuela, Social Norms, Talking about Sex with Children

This entry was posted on Thursday, May 20th, 2010 at 10:32 AM and is filed under Caracas, Cultural Arts, Cultural Assimilation, Cultural Expectations, Culture, Parenting, Questions, Social Norms, Venezuela. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.