Times have changed since the days when sex was a private matter. Even more so however, they have changed since a time when sex was mainly introduced into life during the mid to late-teen years. Middle school children are having a great deal of sex currently and personally, I think it’s alarming. Between them and the morals their parents have been preaching (or lack there of), they are helping to breed a frightful generation. Some probably considers sex to be no more important than brushing one’s teeth.
Short of locking the youths up in chastity belts, something logical should be done. Maybe some good parental influence mixed with less abstinence only sex education would do the trick. Telling children from a young age not to do something like have sex before you’re married isn’t exactly a deterrent. As for parents…they should be more involved. Elementary and middle school students are heavily influenced by the world around them. With that being said, parents should try to provide an environment in the home capable of influencing the youngin in a positive manner. Monitor what they watch or see online, know who their friends are as well as their parents, and most of all, act like respectable adults when around them. Watching one’s language is always helpful.
Another problem that could stem from this is an abundance of teen parents. Some feel they’re mature enough to handle having a child at a young age but in reality, it could quite possibly ruin the rest of their lives. Teens might try to force put the responsibility on their parent’s heads to take care of an infant. That isn’t fair to the elder parents. If the teens decide they want to have the child instead of getting an abortion, they are the responsible for that child. That probably means dropping out of school, getting a job, etc… Not really the beginnings of a bright and happy future if you ask me. For teenage women, abortion is the only sensible step to take while one is faced with pregnancy. Think about it, giving up an education and future for a child who one could rightly have later in life and be more capable to raise if one so chooses. Also, think about the man’s position. He might have not wanted a child and when that child is born, there is a good chance he’ll not only have to drop out of school as well, but he’ll be tied to the girl and her child for a minimum of eighteen years. For you teens who think having a child now is a great thing full of rewarding experiences, think again. Once you go down that road, you can never really come back and take another.
Sex isn’t just some toy one can play around with when they feel. States have a set legal age for a reason (even though that doesn’t mean that once one reaches that age, they are ready and mature enough to handle it). One thing is certain, our better future has to include less teenage parents or society may just fall apart.
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Great points, even if I don't really agree on the abortion section. Still, very good points. These children are the future, and they're already mucking it up!
Where are the PARENTS I wonder? Are parents just becoming more clueless and caring less in this day and age?
And so many girls are baby-happy to the point that they want a baby at an age when they're not old enough for one. I think I saw a commercial for a Dr. Phil episode about this.
~ *~
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I agree with most of that, but, I don't think there needs to be a set age for sex (only a set age for when people can have sex with adults). Sex doesn't have to be a huge deal, and even if it is, it doesn't have to be an "adult" thing. Your title could've easily been, "Child + good values + underage sex = yay!"
I can not agree with that. We have state ages of legality for a very good reason. The fact is, sex itself isn't a bad thing, it's all the things that can result from it. All the errors, mistakes, and other various problems that can arise when underage, immature children take part in the act. Sex really should only be for those who are mature enough to be careful and sensible. Most kids in grades 6 through 8 are not ready mentally or emotionally for sex.
It's all fun and games until someone's 7th grader is pregnant with twins right?
...and I agree with you. The idea of middle schoolers having sex will always creep me out. Heck, I hardly believe most high schoolers are ready for the big leap.
"It's all fun and games until someone's 7th grader is pregnant with twins right?"
That is quote worthy.
~ *~
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They aren't physically or emotionally ready for sex most of the time, true, but they generally DO engage in sexual activity nonetheless. They don't HAVE to be emotionally unprepared. And not all sexual activity is a big deal. Kids experiment together sexually all the time, it's quite normal and healthy.
They don't HAVE to be emotionally unprepared. And not all sexual activity is a big deal. Kids experiment together sexually all the time, it's quite normal and healthy.
Healthy...you're saying that it's healthy for kids, who I may need to remind you have barely stepped foot out of the days of recess sandboxes, to experiment with sex. It isn't safe for children not to be prepared mentally and emotionally. Knowledge and maturity can be powerful contraceptives in themselves. These are things that people rarely have at such young ages.
Do you think kids don't masturbate? Don't play doctor? Don't ever kiss and fondle each other? Those are all common, normal, and HEALTHY examples of child sexual development.
that kids don't do those things. We're not talking about kissing and fondling. We're talking about sexual intercourse. Sex is not the same thing as kissing. Jeeze! perhaps I should be ranting about holding hands! That epidemic is already too massive to control!
Masturbation, kissing, etc...that's all normal. Sex is on a whole different level. As far as I know, the imaculate conception wasn't the result of holding hands but hey...I could be wrong. Sex is best left to those who can handle themselves in a mature way. If someone doesn't have proper knowledge about sex, the actions and chemistry involved, etc... then I don't feel they have a right to take part.
Make contraceptives more widely available. That will decrease the abortion rate. In the meantime, start keeping the media in check. Television, magazines, billboards-all advertisements at that-should be regulated to a certain amount of innuendo...if that's not causing all this, what is?
I don't agree that a teenage mom (or dad) has to drop out of school in order to raise a child. In fact, that's probably the worst thing she could do. There are plenty of women who manage to go to school while raising children, and responsible teens can do the same. It isn't an all-or-nothing scenario, either. There are plenty of adults who adopt their grandchildren in an effort to help out, or to ensure that the child grows up in a loving environment.
~C
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I agree. This blog makes me think of the movie Juno. Teenage mistakes don't have to be the end of the World. Adoption is a difficult alternative, but well worth it in my book. I didn't have sex before I got married because I had so many other goals, that I didn't want things to get flipped upside down. I agree that knowledge can be a powerful contraceptive. Abstinence education is just not cutting it.
I plan on having my first child towards the end of grad school. I think I would be able to handle it then, but I wouldn't have been able to in high school.
www.progressiveu.org/blog/americangirlinchina
I don't agree that a teenage mom (or dad) has to drop out of school in order to raise a child. In fact, that's probably the worst thing she could do. There are plenty of women who manage to go to school while raising children, and responsible teens can do the same.
don't HAVE to drop out of school, but they certainly can't push strollers from class to class. If the baby isn't with the parent, then who? Pushing the child on relatives is wrong. That means paying a babysitter which in turn means getting a job to pay for that...as well as some of the other expenses. What about the father of the child? He's probably already shunned by half his family for having a child out of wedlock and furthermore...he may very well be expected to support the child as well. The ratio, which anyone should be able to realize out of common sense, of teenage parents staying in school after having a child and can support their grade while rocking the cradle versus those who drop out is tilted in favor dropping out. Think about it, without the support of caring parents who are willing to raise the child for their son or daughter, could you or anyone you know truly support themselves in school? Probably not. We're talking young teenagers between the ages of 13 to 15. Maybe we can factor in the 16 year olds as well. You can't shift responsibility onto others. If elder parents are willing to take on the job...then fine....grandma and grandpa will raise the child leaving the teen to have a normal life and be capable of raising a child...when they are at home.
~Astroaction149
Think about it, without the support of caring parents who are willing to raise the child for their son or daughter, could you or anyone you know truly support themselves in school?
Yes... my old school district had a high school specifically for teen parents. They have a daycare all day for the children, and in the morning, they'd attend class, and in the afternoon they'd either work towards some trade, or they'd hold a job for a few hours, and then pick up their children and go home.
And I'm in college, and getting ready to graduate come May, so I know I could support myself if I were to have a kid now. Of course, I'm not going to have one for quite some time now...
But again, it's not an all-or-nothing thing like you make it out to be. The teen parents don't have to EITHER have the child, or have an abortion. Adoption is a choice, especially if the teen's parents are willing to adopt the kid. Then they can have the best of both worlds.
~C
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Think about it, without the support of caring parents who are willing to raise the child for their son or daughter, could you or anyone you know truly support themselves in school?
Yes... my old school district had a high school specifically for teen parents.
:o what a sad world we live in, where high schools are built specifically to accommodate teen parents! Abstinence education doesn't work because it's a lie. Once kids find out that some of the things they learn in "health classes" are wrong, they assume that everything is wrong. At least, everything is hyperbolic. In effect, the education system is CREATING these problems, which they attempt to fix by giving a higher dose of "health education", which, in turn, creates larger problems.
I disagree with the whole drop out of school thing, too. Anyone who drops out of school as a result of a child does so because he or she does not want the education bad enough to make sacrifices. Older adults work, raise children, and attend college. I did it at 18, and so can anyone else that wants to. It doesn't take an army of sit at home grandparents, special schools, or welfare; all it takes is motivation and perseverance.
Also, I'd like to add that I didn't have any family or other support in the matter. My parents didn't even help me with high school, and I've been completely on my own since 17. I know of two other moms that have done the exact same thing. It can be done, but as I said before nobody wants to make the sacrifices necessary to do great things.
I love abortion. Read more here:
http://progressiveu.org/044921-i-love-abortion-even-if-it-murder
but im not going to that blog, because in the entire few months ive been here, nobody has looked at any of my blogs. i cant believe that I walked into this stupid trap, looking for scholarships. this really isnt worth my time. enough squabbling over women's rights and marijuana legalization. I am done. fuck it.
I'm sorry it hasn't gone well for you, but you've only written three blogs in six weeks...Maybe if you step it up a little you'll build a readership.
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman
It is really easy for blogs to get lost here on the site. With over 40,000 members, we have a whole lot of blogs. Since you aren't incredibly active on the site (with only 3 blogs and less than a page of blogs you've commented on, you can't say you're very active), no one is going to go looking for your blogs once they drop off the recent posts list. If you get your name out there, even advertise to your friends, you'll get read and people will comment. Don't blame us because you get lost in the shuffle.
~C
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but I was going for quality over quantity in my *now 4!* blogs. I could always talk about Barrack Obama from the same exact standpoint as that dude on CNN had, but I prefer that people don't think I'm a mindless quark, floating in space (not that I'm afraid of being judged!). That explains why I don't have a million and a half blogs. So I hope you understand, I could win a race for scholarships by spewing alphabet soup from my teeth, but it really is a waste of time.
And somehow I have over 350 blog views and one comment.
It isn't just about blogs, though. It's about comments. If you want to get read, you have to be willing to read other people's blogs in order to get your name out there. We don't expect you to spew alphabet soup (and no, you would not win the scholarship if you did that, as we do a cleanup at the end of the contest and deduct points for blogs that are not progressive, that violate the TOS, etc, if we don't catch them as we go). We expect you to have your own opinions.
And if you have 350 views, you're obviously getting read (unless you are just refreshing your page... then that number is just artificially inflated).
~C
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Have you been commenting on other peoples' writing a lot? That seems to help. If nobody knows it's out there, nobody will visit it.
I will check out your blog now.
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