Are you buying the new sex/consumption books for your kids?

[dele]

I do agree with you that the past wasn't all it was cracked up to be. We now know that unprotected sex can result in pregnancy, physical and emotional problems. None of these things are good for a young woman. Instead of teaching women to wait until they're mature enough to make this decision and then do so safely, the media teaches women to act irresponsibly.

I can forgive past generations because they didn't know any better. Now that we do, it is criminal to allow young girls to throw their lives away.

 

[blurricus]

The media being books? I certainly think that books have been a lot more destructive than simply teens having sex. I think that's the core issue here. Let's look at all the old pulp fiction novels. Terribly immoral. What about the Marquis de Sade? I have quite the perverted nature and immoral mindset, but he still makes me cringe.

 

[Zolipara]

Back in the "good 'ol days", women weren't able to study and get jobs. A woman's reason to be was to have babies and be a good wife, at least that's what they were taught all their life. In Western society today, women can do whatever they want and be anything they choose. So the question is why are we encouraging women to act like we haven't made these advances? Remember when women aspired to have the right to vote, to hold jobs, to be the first woman president?

The womens liberation is probably one of the main reasons many consider todays youths to be more open about sex. Women are no longer just a babyfactory, but are allowed to want to have sex without beeing considered damaged goods.

In addition we have these new inventions called condoms (just one of many possible solutions) that allow you to have sex without getting pregnant. So the girl can now not only want to have sex, but have it without beeing worried about the problems associated with it.

Beeing an unwed mother is no longer the disaster it could be back in the day either.

The problem of teen pregnancies is probably more connected with people that dont take teen sexuality seriously. You cant pretend its not there, or simply say dont do it. It wont work. But you can talk about it, and give them a proper sex education so they can make their own decision and know how to stay safe if they want to. The Netherlands is one of the countries in the world that are the most open about sex, and have the lowest number of teen pregnancies in europe. So to blame it on the media is rather simplistic.

 

[dele]

The problem of teen pregnancies is probably more connected with people that dont take teen sexuality seriously. You cant pretend its not there, or simply say dont do it. It wont work. But you can talk about it, and give them a proper sex education so they can make their own decision and know how to stay safe if they want to. The Netherlands is one of the countries in the world that are the most open about sex, and have the lowest number of teen pregnancies in europe. So to blame it on the media is rather simplistic.

You're absolutely right, I'm not arguing with you there - proper education is critical. But there's a big difference between teaching kids how to safely have sex safely and advertising sex to tweens. Who do kids look up to these days? Britney Spears? Lindsey Lohan? Paris Hilton? I'm not suggesting that the role models of yesteryear were saints, but it seems to me that we're at an all-time low.


Back to the original topic of this thread. Series like Gossip Girl, A-List and others like them don't teach kids about the responsibilities associated with having sex, just the glamour and the thrill of the moment. In my opinion, that's a huge problem.

 

[blurricus]

Just because they don't teach kids the responsibilities associated with having sex doesn't make them wrong. Kids can find versions of the kama sutra showing the positions, tons of sex tips everywhere, or just graduate to seedy romance novels or erotica. Some works of old were also quite scandalous.

Who are the kids supposed to look up to? All of my heroes have comitted suicide or ODed. I haven't gone that path quite yet. I think the kids will be okay. If they have sex, that's their decision.

 

[chuephödli]

Something wrong with wanting and having sex, I wonder...

If not, is it wrong if you're 15? if yes, is it OK if you're 18? Is sex better (morally speaking) when you're 18 than when you're 15? Why (not)?

Does any of this have anything to do with the books we (or anybody else) is reading?

Just asking.

 

[pufferpetey]

Whether we like it or not these types of books are popular because they detail the truth of the teenage experience today. You should read this book and then discuss the topics with your kids and see if they can relate or have a friend who is in a similar situation. You may find that you will be surprised. Open dialouge about life and sex is the only preventative measure IMO.