This is bugging me....

**RICHARD** · 01-07-2007, 12:52 AM

Originally Posted by lizbud

Richard, have you ever raised children?

Child Protective Services will contact you tomorrow for even mentioning "children" and Richard in the same sentence...

**lizbud** · 01-07-2007, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by RICHARD

Child Protective Services will contact you tomorrow for even mentioning "children" and Richard in the same sentence...

Oh really.

Just wanted to add that you don't have to be a mom or dad to parent
a child. Sometimes is another adult relative or significant role model that
child wants to imitate. I think we really do need more good role models.

**Muddy4paws** · 01-08-2007, 03:57 AM

I'm 19 and when I was in school at the age of 15 there was about 4 teen mums all in my year.

I honestly think sex education at school is rubbish, they gave up the "talk" when we were 16 and about to leave school and its too late! I really think it needs to be taught at a much younger age to make everyone aware that it can happen first time and its not something to mess about with!

I knew a girl who used to have unprotected sex and then have the morning after pill to save herself, Its so dangerous and I really think it needs to be drummed into peoples heads that its not just a big game and its a life and you shouldn't mess about with it.

there really isn't any excuse for it, if its taught early enough it should stick and there are plenty of places to get protection even for under 16's so there is no excuse.

**TamanduaGirl** · 01-08-2007, 02:14 PM

Hmm I'm 31 and my first birds and bees talk in school was 4th grade. Mostly oit was about the chages that were about to occur and they passed around tampons and pads ect. But there was some mention about what it meant to and that it was for making babies someday. Of course a lot of parents opted their kids out of that day I think.

Then Junior high we had a whole Quarter of a sex ed class. They encouraged people to ask anything. Some of the questions that were asked, geesh, lol.

Maybe it's because my mom's a nurse and they didn't try to keep me inocent and answered questions ect. I was given a birds and bees book when real little that included pics of babies being born.

**kimlovescats** · 01-23-2007, 09:21 AM

Unfortunately, parents can make every effort to raise their kids in very parent-involved, loving, supportive, and moral based homes, but the children still choose to do otherwise. It is the lack of moral fiber in our world today. The media and general populaton has become so accepting of what should still be "wrong" that our children hardly stand a chance any more.

**jackmilliesmom** · 01-23-2007, 09:43 AM

It does not matter what influences are around them young people today are a law unto themselves. I have a neighbour who recently found her ten year old daughter having intercourse with a 13 year old boy while she was in the other room wiht the boy's mother.

When asked what they thought they were doing they said having sex why? the mother was floored and punished the daughter severely to which the young girl replied well if I do not do it here I will do it somewhere else! The mother has smacked this young girl in the face and grounded her and the young girl has called childline and told them she was being abused by her mother and father physically (beatings) and has now caused all sorts of trouble in teh home. She is an only child and has brought her parents to their knees in desperation.

So what you heard on teh radio is mild to what is actually going on. You need to wake up to it Richard - there is a way out for the children in this all the time. the other day while out grocery shopping a child threw a tantrum and the mother smacked the child on the hand and the child told her he was reporting her to childline and ran off to find a phone he was no more than 7.

Parents are at their wits end now there is too much emphises put on the childline and other charities that are there for the real abused children but some of these children are acting up to it and it should be put a stop to. As a child I would never dare defy my parents because I was always afraid of the consequences it would bring but not today they do it and there are no consequences because parents are afraid to smack the children when needed and also to correct them in any way as there are worse if not more consequences for the parents.

**kimlovescats** · 01-23-2007, 12:43 PM

You are so right, jackmilliesmom! It's getting to the point where the kids are the ones controlling the parents. What happened to "spare the rod, spoil the child"? While I do not believe in child abuse and excessive physical force, I think the old times of a good spanking made for much better disciplined children.

**Cataholic** · 01-23-2007, 01:46 PM

Originally Posted by jackmilliesmom

the mother was floored and punished the daughter severely to which the young girl replied well if I do not do it here I will do it somewhere else! The mother has smacked this young girl in the face and grounded her and the young girl has called childline and told them she was being abused by her mother and father physically (beatings) and has now caused all sorts of trouble in teh home. She is an only child and has brought her parents to their knees in desperation.

This paragraph shocks me. I can't imagine striking a child in the face. I think if this is the nature of the interactions between parent and child at 10, there are more problems than we know of. One doesn't just wake up one day, at age 10, and begin to act out in such a scary and damaging way. Nor does a parent wake up one day and decide to strike their child across the face.

I am really saddened by this. And, in the child's 'defense', often times there IS abuse in a household, and no one believes the child. Most people, abusing a child, do not self report. It isn't like the PARENT is going to say to childline, "yep, I beat my child".

**BOBS DAD** · 01-23-2007, 02:02 PM

I had that talk with all 3 of my children (well, let's say talks as it is a continuing, evolving process) - including my 2 girls. For whatever reason, my wife found it difficult and left the sex ed up to me. I started talking to them about all of this when they were as young as 7-8 years. About the time that they started noticing anatomical differences between us (wife and I) and themselves. I think that by starting these talks early on and keeping them age appropriate (simpler basic facts to start with) and adding more info (what swear words and generally inapopropriate terms mean) as they are ready and capable of handling it made it a lot easier for them to transition into adulthood without being traumatized or stigmatized by "not knowing" what was going on araound them.