What would you do if you caught your twelve year old daughter taking pictures of herself naked is that normal?

Answer 1

It may happen occasionally, but it is not really what you would call normal. A good deal of her slightly older classmates are probably posting "sexy" shots on MySpace and Facebook. You may want to talk to her and find out what she intended to do with the pictures. Were they for a guy at school? Were they going on the internet? Make sure no one made her feel pressured to take them. Discuss with her all the possibilities of where pictures can go, even when she may know and trust who she is sending them to. You could use Vanessa Hudgens as a prime example. You can point out all the embarrassment it caused for her. If she is active online, you may want to sit with her for a few nights and see if she acts oddly when any friends pop up on IM. You don't have to read her messages to recognize a sudden behavior change. I'm not one who usually would recommend snooping too much, but if your child is doing something that may endanger themselves, then the entire climate has changed. If there is a computer in her bedroom, it may need to come out into an open area. Make sure that she understands that there are laws against child pornography, and that anyone caught with those pictures would be in serious amounts of trouble.

If after talking to her it seems that her reasons for taking the pics were purely innocuos, maybe just out of curiosity, then explain to her that in the future it would be safer to just use a mirror. Find out what questions she may have. If she is this curious at the age of 12, there is a good chance she has been getting some info from her friends. If they are her age, it is a good chance that it is false information that will need to be cleared up. Let her know that parental communication is open. If you make her feel like she was able to talk to you on this one, she may be more likely to come to you when other issues come up.