Condoms for teen agers

[Thorne]

I have one of each! Made every effort to deal with them as thinking entities. My daughter heard a lot of the traditional daddy threats about how their boyfriends would be treated. My favorite being a spiked baseball bat. But in reality her friendships were treated as just that. With attendant curfews and analysis as needed, same for my son.
After having made a multi-year attempt to teach values, responsibility, and yes, morals (which involve more than sex) the only option left when those come into play is to provide guidance, when required.
Being a parent is one of the hardest jobs in the world. Even so one can not just abdicate, or allow others to substitute for you. Remember if you want a job done correct ....

Yeah, the spiked baseball bat sounds like what I would be thinking about. But it's good to hear that you were treating your children as young adults, not as chidren. You were teaching them what they needed to know as they moved into the adult world. As you say, it is a very hard job indeed, one which seemingly will never end.

And I, for one, am not saying one should abdicate that responsibility. In fact, I'm saying the opposite. Some things, such as biology and psychology, might be better taught in schools, with qualified teachers who know more about the subjects than I do. That doesn't mean you can just ignore the topic, though. There is still much about it that must be taught at home. Morality being perhaps the most important. But there has to be a certain amount of common sense and understanding mixed in with that morality. Trying to teach your kids that something is filthy and sinful and disgusting one day but perfectly fine once you sign that marriage certificate is just confusing the issues. Sure, you can try to impress upon them that they'll be happier if they wait, but at the same time they are seeing all around them signs that sexual activity among loving couples can be just as rewarding without marriage.

Perhaps your kids didn't experiment with sex, or drugs, or alcohol. But how can you be sure? And if they were sexually active, what could you have done about it except try to understand them? Would you have locked your daughter away in the basement and found a suitable mate for her, as some cultures might?

No, it's far better to teach your kids what they NEED to know, not hide it from them until you think they're old enough.

[DuncanONeil]

My responsibility is to teach my kids values, morals, and about making choices. The technical stuff is what I hire teachers for.
When our kids are young we teach them that cigarettes are nasty and disgusting?
If we do not instill them with values and a sense of morality how can we expect them to make the hard choices? The clerk gave me too much change! What oh what do I do??

That "loving couple" part is very important! Nor is it anywhere near what the subject of this thread is asking about!

Yeah, the spiked baseball bat sounds like what I would be thinking about. But it's good to hear that you were treating your children as young adults, not as chidren. You were teaching them what they needed to know as they moved into the adult world. As you say, it is a very hard job indeed, one which seemingly will never end.

And I, for one, am not saying one should abdicate that responsibility. In fact, I'm saying the opposite. Some things, such as biology and psychology, might be better taught in schools, with qualified teachers who know more about the subjects than I do. That doesn't mean you can just ignore the topic, though. There is still much about it that must be taught at home. Morality being perhaps the most important. But there has to be a certain amount of common sense and understanding mixed in with that morality. Trying to teach your kids that something is filthy and sinful and disgusting one day but perfectly fine once you sign that marriage certificate is just confusing the issues. Sure, you can try to impress upon them that they'll be happier if they wait, but at the same time they are seeing all around them signs that sexual activity among loving couples can be just as rewarding without marriage.

Perhaps your kids didn't experiment with sex, or drugs, or alcohol. But how can you be sure? And if they were sexually active, what could you have done about it except try to understand them? Would you have locked your daughter away in the basement and found a suitable mate for her, as some cultures might?

No, it's far better to teach your kids what they NEED to know, not hide it from them until you think they're old enough.

[Thorne]

My responsibility is to teach my kids values, morals, and about making choices.

Yes it is. YOUR values, YOUR morals, and YOUR choices. But you have to understand that some of those values, morals and choices are not universal. Some are cultural, some are religious, some are inherent. And unless you terrorize your kids into following your ways, chances are that somewhere along the line they are going to experiment with someone else's values, morals and choices.

[/B][/COLOR]The technical stuff is what I hire teachers for.[/B][/COLOR]

Then make sure that your shool district, or church leaders, or political leaders, don't restrict the "technical stuff" that the teachers need to teach. It's only biology, after all.

[/B][/COLOR]When our kids are young we teach them that cigarettes are nasty and disgusting?[/B][/COLOR]

No we teach them that they are unhealthy, especially for children, just like alcohol. "Nasty" and "disgusting" are subjective terms. You may think that broccoli tastes good and is good for you. I think it's "nasty". Who's right?

[DuncanONeil]

Then make sure that your shool district, or church leaders, or political leaders, don't restrict the "technical stuff" that the teachers need to teach. It's only biology, after all.

I have a lot of problems with the things being taught in these places. Mostly with the political leaders and the school district. The school district seems to be way more socialist that even the current Administration.

[Thorne]

I have a lot of problems with the things being taught in these places. Mostly with the political leaders and the school district. The school district seems to be way more socialist that even the current Administration.

Well, if nothing else you could try moving to Texas. They seem quite ready and willing to drag the rest of the country's school systems down into the muck and mire. They don't want their kids being taught that the Earth is 5 billion years old, or that "evil"ution stuff.

[DuncanONeil]

Well, if nothing else you could try moving to Texas. They seem quite ready and willing to drag the rest of the country's school systems down into the muck and mire. They don't want their kids being taught that the Earth is 5 billion years old, or that "evil"ution stuff.

You are making assumptions here!

Nor do I believe that such is the case in Texas!

[Thorne]

You are making assumptions here!

Perhaps, but I think you're feeding those assumptions.

Nor do I believe that such is the case in Texas!

Think not?

And this was just one of many instances where the TBoE has been trashing proper schooling by forcing their conservative religious beliefs to be taught in PUBLIC schools. Separation of church and state? Not in Texas!