Mom advice can touch on all kinds of life lessons: from what brand of period product to buy to how to deal with street harassment. So this Mother’s Day, we wanted to celebrate moms’ badass, real-talk side — #metoo style.
Youth Radio’s newsroom interns decided to share the ways their mothers have advised them on how to handle sexual assault and harassment.
“She got me a rape whistle and told me not to walk through the parking lot at BART to avoid people jumping from their cars and kidnapping me.” — Mila De La Torre, 16
“When I went into high school, my parents knew that I’d have to take the bus sometimes, so they ended up giving me a taser. I expressed that I was kind of worried about my safety, especially since I was taking public transportation alone for the first time.” — Mali Dandridge, 17
“When I turned 14, I started using BART, my mom, stepmom, and grandmother all gave me pepper spray without telling each other.” — Malia Disney, 17
“The most important thing my mom told me about sexual assault is if someone ever tries to hurt you in any way, is that you always prioritize your own safety and comfort.” — Sierra Fang-Horvath, 18
“My mom said to always be aware of your surroundings while walking home. She also gave me a pink bottle of pepper spray that I could never imagine myself using. She told me to always watch my drink at parties.” — Vanessa Rasmussen, 16
”My mom has told me not to be on my phone or listening to loud music when I walk alone in public because I need to be aware of my surroundings. My mom signed up to a text alert system from the Berkeley Police Department and sends me texts notifying me about streets to avoid and things to look out for (like shady white vans or men in sunglasses and trench coats).” — Olivia Monforte, 17
