Bidding war not to be fought

There has been a story from Brazil regarding an 18 year old named Rebecca Bernardo who has posted on YouTube auctioning off her virginity to the highest bidder. Her reason was that the money would go to pay for her mother’s medical bills due to a stroke. Her mother insisted that her daughter shouldn’t go to this extreme to raise the money. The girl had got the idea from another Brazilian woman who auctioned off her virginity and received a large sum of money, as well as a modeling contract.
Rebecca had three bids and the largest was $35,000. The local news station heard of her plight and offered to pay all of her mother’s medical bills. However, the girl refused their generous offer, stating that the network wasn’t willing to buy her a new house in a different town. This refusal put into question what was her real motif, especially after another posting on YouTube where she auditioned for the Brazilian version of “Big Brother”.
Though this news story may have some delicate matters, it is important to share with your teenage children. Some of the following questions need to be asked: Does your actions stress that money will solve everything and to obtain it by any means necessary? How would you feel if your teenager believed that she had run out of options and forced to sell herself? When help is offered, though it may not involve every aspect you may have wanted, would you still accept it? What is the ultimate price for fame, or is being infamous good enough?
By discussing this story with your teenager can open up a window into their value system and to examine them. Though this news story occurred thousands of miles away, the core of it can still hit close to home.