so McCain's choice is interesting

[HoundedByHounds]

well they have some show on now Grammy designed to scare young people into not having kids of their own. They are borrowing toddlers and babies and giving them to the kids for a while and filming the chaos that ensues.

I recall "sugar bag babies" and such...lessons in school designed to teach kiddos about how a baby is indeed a day long, lifelong drain on your finances, time, and emotional reserve (many positives in having kids but they don't really emphasize those with teenagers, for obvious reasons).

I dunno what the answers are, because obviously programmes like this only have a limited effect lol. I am all for teaching kids how to prevent pregnancy...in school...and that they CAN do so and indeed SHOULD do so. But unfortunately my state does not feel that is proper.

One of the things I gave up moving here was the rather less uptight feelings in Ca regarding sex and sex ed. Always a trade off I guess...

 

[mjb]

I've heard people (some of my relatives) say she should be thinking about her children and not running for VP. I've never heard any of these relatives ever say that about any male candidate, and their kids get scrutinized, too. I remember Chelsea Clinton as a pre-teen and young teen getting negative publicity for her looks, of all things. As if that age persona doesn't have enough confidence issues.

As for teen pregnancy, I'm sure there are some teens out there that don't know how to prevent it, both with abstinence or birth control. I was a teen quite a few years ago. All of my friends knew about birth control, and we weren't taught about it in school. I'll take that back a little. I took an Advanced Biology course that did go over all the birth control methods, but it wasn't Sex Ed, and very few kids were in that class.

At that time, pregnancy outside of marriage was frowned upon. It carried a little bit of a stigma. That's what kept my friends from either having no sex or protected sex. The embarrassment they would cause themselves and their families. That might not be the right way, but that's what motivated us!!

 

[Lilavati]

it's seems...they want more caribou for humans to shoot so they are tracking momma wolves back to their dens and killing the pups. This is something she supports. These wolves were not killing stock, but natural prey. There was simply worry they'd be killing so many...that humans might not have enough to shoot.

I have no problem with hunting...even trophy hunting to some extent...but the fact that you'd shoot an animal hunting it's natural prey, and track a mother back to also kill her cubs, so YOU can instead hunt it is a bit ridiculous to me.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17735990/

That, if true, is revolting.


As for sex education:

Teens will always get pregant, because teens, frankly, don't always think things through, are fully of raging hormones, and do things on impluse. The intent should be two fold: to minimize teen pregnancy and to prepare teens for adulthood. Absidence only does NOTHING to minimize teen pregancy, at least according on the statistics, and it DEFINATELY does not prepate teens for a adulthood. A prepared, well informed adult in our culture knows about birth control and how to use it to prevent pregnancy and disease. They don't necessarily actually use it, whether because they want a child or they have religious objections, but as far as I am concerned it is a basic part of adult knowledge to know about birth control and how to use it, even if one chooses not to.

 

[Jules]

At first I was excited for her to be picked as VP.... and the more I read about her values the more I get disappointed. (This has nothing to do with the bounty on wolves)

While I find her handling politics refreshing- I am slightly scared to think what might happen if McCain dies.

 

[mjb]

That, if true, is revolting.


As for sex education:

Teens will always get pregant, because teens, frankly, don't always think things through, are fully of raging hormones, and do things on impluse. The intent should be two fold: to minimize teen pregnancy and to prepare teens for adulthood. Absidence only does NOTHING to minimize teen pregancy, at least according on the statistics, and it DEFINATELY does not prepate teens for a adulthood. A prepared, well informed adult in our culture knows about birth control and how to use it to prevent pregnancy and disease. They don't necessarily actually use it, whether because they want a child or they have religious objections, but as far as I am concerned it is a basic part of adult knowledge to know about birth control and how to use it, even if one chooses not to.

I agree. Everyone should be educated on birth control and its proper use. I'm not convinced it will do anything to lower teen pregnancy, though. But, there may be statistics out there that already say that it indeed does!

 

[Megansmom]

That, if true, is revolting.


As for sex education:

Teens will always get pregant, because teens, frankly, don't always think things through, are fully of raging hormones, and do things on impluse. The intent should be two fold: to minimize teen pregnancy and to prepare teens for adulthood. Absidence only does NOTHING to minimize teen pregancy, at least according on the statistics, and it DEFINATELY does not prepate teens for a adulthood. A prepared, well informed adult in our culture knows about birth control and how to use it to prevent pregnancy and disease. They don't necessarily actually use it, whether because they want a child or they have religious objections, but as far as I am concerned it is a basic part of adult knowledge to know about birth control and how to use it, even if one chooses not to.

Very true. I was well educated about sex/birth control and had a pregnancy scare the month before I turned 18. Sometimes it takes something like that to put your head on straight. My children are the most important thing in my life, hands down, but I wasn't ready for them at 18.

 

[Island dog]

I asked my FIL what he thought of McCain's chosen partner, he said she is against abortion so she has his vote

She has been quoted when her daughter was 14 years old stating she would oppose abortion even if it resulted from a rape. The only exception is if the mother's life is in danger.

 

[pacopoe]

At first I was excited for her to be picked as VP.... and the more I read about her values the more I get disappointed. (This has nothing to do with the bounty on wolves)

While I find her handling politics refreshing- I am slightly scared to think what might happen if McCain dies.

x2!

And she does support Abstinence only sex education. That's what makes the whole thing so ironic.

 

[borzoimom]

..
While I find her handling politics refreshing- I am slightly scared to think what might happen if McCain dies.

If you find that frightening, how about if something happens with Obama and then leaves Biden.. Talk about " old time politics of Washington.."
As far as the rest on comments on pregnant teenage girls- just remember- there are two parents of the child- the young man and the young lady. It takes " two to tango".. One thing here I see with her pregnancy is she has her familys' support. Its sad but many teens do not.

 

[sparks19]

I had one of those sugar bag babies in my parenting class in high school.... I accidently sat on it. Luckily it didn't break

Now they have dolls that keep a log... it doll cries and does things like a baby would and it registers how long you let the baby cry etc etc. Our school didn't have them but the school my friend went to did. Those things were freaky.

 

[Jules]

^ :yikes:

Uh. Now I am back at square one. Not that I can vote anyway- I guess THAT is the best part of the story for me.

 

[SharkyX]

Teens will always get pregant, because teens, frankly, don't always think things through, are fully of raging hormones, and do things on impluse.

Very true but I still find it rather comical, mostly because adults don't always think things through and we're supposed to be all wise and grown up and so forth.

Adults get pregnant by accident or through carelessness sometimes (albeit it's less frequent) and we supposedly know better.

You can't judge one person by the actions of another unless they were directly influenced... and in this case I seriously doubt any mother would encourage her 17 year old to go out and get pregnant.

As for the killing and the other stuff... just glad I don't have to make that choice... although it looks like we'll be having a fall election as well...

Canada and the US can be election buddies... YAY

 

[SharkyX]

I had one of those sugar bag babies in my parenting class in high school.... I accidently sat on it. Luckily it didn't break

Now they have dolls that keep a log... it doll cries and does things like a baby would and it registers how long you let the baby cry etc etc. Our school didn't have them but the school my friend went to did. Those things were freaky.

My highschool had those... although you only got them by voluntarily taking that course... so it was filled mostly with girls who had an interest in there parenting skills... so other then a few of there bystander friends I don't think they did much to discourage... maybe just put more thought into when.

They were freaky though... they even had them on Hogan knows best... Hulk gave one to his Nick to teach him some responsibility... to bad he didn't teach him about driving... oh well.

 

[sparks19]

Yeah... Parenting is a voluntary course. I took it... but let me tell ya... it did NOT prepare me for a real child AT ALL lol. I sat on my sugar baby... but I would never sit on my real baby hahaha

 

[HoundedByHounds]

I think we had eggs...and HARD BOILED ones at that? How is that ANYTHING like a kid? LOL. You drop a kid and it doesn't bounce...lol. They did smell similar tho...at times.

 

[bubbatd]

Food for thought ..... we had NO sex education in school --- we did not talk about sex amongst ourselves ....and yet I knew NO ONE under 20 getting pregnant . It was a " No-no " !!

 

[pacopoe]

Food for thought ..... we had NO sex education in school --- we did not talk about sex amongst ourselves ....and yet I knew NO ONE under 20 getting pregnant . It was a " No-no " !!

But times have changed. Kids are getting information from each other and from the internet. If they don't get a balanced education from somewhere, they're going to continue believing blow jobs "don't count" as sex. It's true you're not likely to get pregnant that way, but you are still vulnerable to both STDs and the emotional issues sex brings up.

Not talking about it is not an option when the rest of the world is throwing it in your face.

 

[sparks19]

Well... I know a lot of kids don't have parents that will talk about it. But I am determined to have Brian and I be the ones who educate Hannah on sex, BC, STD's etc etc. I will NOT be relying on anyone else to teach her what she needs to know. I am her parent and that is MY JOB. I want her to know that she can come to me if she wants to be on birth control or has any questions or anything else. My mom was wonderful that way. Even though I wasn't sexually active she asked me flat out if I would like to be on birth control... not just for sex but to help regulate my period also. I was ALWAYS comfortable talking to my mom about sex because she made it that way. If only more parents felt that way and would take on a responsibility that is theirs to begin with instead of putting it on the schools. But I know that this is just not a realistic ideal.

 

[borzoimom]

Food for thought ..... we had NO sex education in school --- we did not talk about sex amongst ourselves ....and yet I knew NO ONE under 20 getting pregnant . It was a " No-no " !!

Yea and the only way to insure not getting pregnant for 100 percent is to abstain in the first place..

 

[bubbatd]

That's why I hate some of the TV programs !!! I know that we were prudish , but I laugh at how Desi and Lucy couldn't be filmed in bed together as a married couple , and yet today they show teens in bed together .