Mayim Bialik talks raising boys in today's world: 'If you don't teach them, the Internet's going to'
Actress Mayim Bialik appeared live on "Good Morning America" today to talk about her new book on raising boys in today's world.
The "The Big Bang Theory" star and mother of two sons gets real with her advice to fellow parents in her new book, "Boying Up: How to Be Brave, Bold and Brilliant."
Bialik, 42, included chapters in the book that tackle everything from "How Boys' Bodies Work" to "How Boys Love" and even "How Boys Can Make a Difference."
"Parents know a lot of things, but we don't know everything and it's OK to take part in a conversation with your children about, 'What's the best way for us to communicate right now? What's the best way for me to teach you to behave respectfully, while also respecting your organic process as a human?'" Bialik said on "GMA."
Bialik also opened up about writing this book in wake of the #MeToo movement.
"In the book, we talk about consent," she said. "We talk about some of the words that my children only learned because our president has brought them into our vernacular and that's not a political statement. That's a statement of, 'there are things in our culture that even if I wasn't ready to talk to them about. If you don't teach them, the internet's going to.'"
Here are Bialik's top 5 parenting tips she shared with 'GMA'
1. Know when to laugh. So much negative behavior can be diffused by introducing a sense of humor.
2. Pick your battles. Not every conflict needs to be fixed. A lot of annoying things kids do eventually pass no matter what you do or don't do.
3. Do not hit your kids. Physical violence always hurts children and teens even if they think they deserve it or if you think they do. And just because many adults say they were hit and they're fine, science disagrees.
4. Don't nag. Constantly riding your kids about food, clothes and manners makes them anxious. It makes adults anxious too! Model good behavior and make modifications to encourage good behavior but resist the urge to constantly correct your kids.
5. Love them. Children and teens need affection even if you can't cuddle them the way you used to. Find ways to express adoration, appreciation and affection for your kids!