Dad at 13

[swingirl]

I''m not sure I believe this one. This boy doesn''t look like he''s gone through puberty yet! I wonder if they''ve done a DNA test. Yes, I know very young boys have viable sperm but are they even interested at this age?

 

[Po10472]

Date: 2/17/2009 12:43:44 PM
Author: steph72276

Date: 2/17/2009 10:10:32 AM
Author: Tacori E-ring
I think it is very sad. I feel horrible for that baby! I think I grew up in a bubble b/c I was not aware of ANY sexual activity (of any sort) when I was in middle school. Now that I have a daughter it already freaks me out to think she might be sexually active at a young age!

To me a 13 year old is still a kid. I remember seeing some talk show about a young girl (maybe 13 or 14) that desperately wanted to me a mom and was trying to get preggo. This was when my own daughter was a newborn and I wondered how and why motherhood is so glamorized to these young girls. Having a baby is HARD work. Teenagers are selfish by nature (which is okay and normal). I bet if these girls had to care for a newborn for a week they would be running to their doctor to get on BC pill.

I agree, it is really sad. It is glamorized because they see stars all the time having babies out of wedlock and they think it is cool....but what they fail to realize is that these people live in multi-million dollar homes, have multiple nannies at their disposal, and can bring their children to work with them in many cases. Doesn''t really work out that way in real life...but by the time they realize that, it''s too late.

Totally agree Steph! If you look at celebs nowadays they''re in several relationships, having kids with tom, dick and harry and advertising their sex lives and whilst that''s ok for them, there are impressionable people out there who don''t see the reality of it all. Where''s the message of safe sex, responsible sex....its not there. And, what about STD''s? Multiple partners, unprotected sex, could potentially lead to a disease.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

Steph, you are right. When the baby is here it is WAY too late. Some days I don''t even feel mature enough to be a mom. It''s hard work. If only *I* was a movie star with a nanny...

Swingirl, his voice has not changed yet if you watch the interview.

 

[steph72276]

Date: 2/17/2009 1:30:29 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
Steph, you are right. When the baby is here it is WAY too late. Some days I don''t even feel mature enough to be a mom. It''s hard work. If only *I* was a movie star with a nanny...


Swingirl, his voice has not changed yet if you watch the interview.

I feel the same way. Motherhood is really hard work. I think if teens could test-drive it out for a while, they wouldn''t think it was so glamorous!

 

[tlh]

This may be slightly off topic.. but I have a hard time looking at that photo without getting physically ill. The boy looks like an 8-9 year old. I know she is 15... and he is 13, and it isn''t completely wrong, but something about the way that boy looks, makes me think of a little child - and pedophiles.
I can''t help but look at this CHILD, even at 13, and wonder what is going on. When I was younger, yes there were always those that were active... at a young age, but it was the "bad girls" those that developed early, and made some poor choices... the guys, were always the big tall jerks, that already had beards.
I know he cannot control the way he looks, any more than I can... but I just find the entire thing unnerveing. He is a little boy, and he looks sooo LITTLE! I''m sorry, I am just sickened by this. I could go on and on... but won''t.

 

[Lauren8211]

Date: 2/18/2009 12:22:12 PM
Author: tlh
This may be slightly off topic.. but I have a hard time looking at that photo without getting physically ill. The boy looks like an 8-9 year old. I know she is 15... and he is 13, and it isn''t completely wrong, but something about the way that boy looks, makes me think of a little child - and pedophiles.
I can''t help but look at this CHILD, even at 13, and wonder what is going on. When I was younger, yes there were always those that were active... at a young age, but it was the ''bad girls'' those that developed early, and made some poor choices... the guys, were always the big tall jerks, that already had beards.
I know he cannot control the way he looks, any more than I can... but I just find the entire thing unnerveing. He is a little boy, and he looks sooo LITTLE! I''m sorry, I am just sickened by this. I could go on and on... but won''t.

I kind of felt the same way. It''s such an awkward couple... she looks like she could be his mom. I''m not kidding by that, either, if you said that was a mother/son picture, I''d believe it. It makes me wonder why she was attracted to him. Seems... off...

Looking at the kid, and picturing him partaking in such things... it made me physically ill. He looks the same age as my 10 year old niece.

I''m creeped out by the entire situation.

 

[tlh]

Date: 2/18/2009 12:58:40 PM
Author: elledizzy5

I kind of felt the same way. It''s such an awkward couple... she looks like she could be his mom. I''m not kidding by that, either, if you said that was a mother/son picture, I''d believe it. It makes me wonder why she was attracted to him. Seems... off...

Looking at the kid, and picturing him partaking in such things... it made me physically ill. He looks the same age as my 10 year old niece.

I''m creeped out by the entire situation.

Yup. Really makes me ill. Glad I am not alone. The whole thing is just really sad, I hope they get as much help as they need bringing up the child. I know when I was 13/15 I was just a kid... I could NEVER have been able to raise a child. I was a child myself.

 

[Erin]

Date: 2/14/2009 10:54:01 PM
Author: ksinger

Date: 2/14/2009 8:45:24 PM
Author: steph72276


Just personal opinion, but my thoughts on why the teenage pregnancy rate is going up...Kids are exposed to sex everywhere in our society today. It''s on network television, daytime television, entertainment news, magazine covers....they are bombarded with it, so it is normal for them to want to experiment with it. And parents are not being parents these days....too many want to be the child''s ''friend'' and not enough want to discipline. And not enough are teaching kids to have good values. There are no penalties to bad behavior. Also, most kids these days grow up as latch-key kids. Which is fine, I''m not saying there is anything wrong with 2 parents working, and realize that it is a necessity for many, but they have access to homes with no parents, and all these things combined lead to stories like these....

Honestly, I''m not trying to be snarky here, but before you make statements like that, you should check a few facts to see if your opinion is actually borne out by them. (Variations of this discussion have been had in here ad nauseum, to the point that I have some of these stats actually linked into my favorites, I''ve checked them SO many times...) The teen pregnancy rate overall has actually been falling for more than a decade, in spite of popular perception to the contrary. The rate of decline has apparently been slowing, up until 2006 when some groups showed signs of increase again. It''s still not known if this is a blip or a genuine trend. But suffice to say, the teen pregnancy rate has NOT been going up, until perhaps 2006, in spite of the increased sexualization of our society, which has also not just been going on in society ''today'' but has been going on for quite awhile.

From the first link I gave, the first part of the summary page:

Each year, almost 750,000 teenage women aged 15–19 become pregnant. The teenage pregnancy rate in this country is at its lowest level in 30 years, down 36% since its peak in 1990. A growing body of research suggests that both increased abstinence and changes in contraceptive practice are responsible for recent declines in teenage pregnancy.1

• The teenage pregnancy rate among those who ever had intercourse declined 28% between
1990 and 2002.

• The teenage birthrate in 2002 was 30% lower than the peak rate of 61.8 births per 1,000
women, reached in 1991.

• Between 1988 and 2000, teenage pregnancy rates declined in every state and in the
District of Columbia.

• By 2002, the teenage abortion rate had dropped by 50% from its peak in 1988.

• From 1986 to 2002, the proportion of teenage pregnancies ending in abortion declined
more than one-quarter from 46% to 34% of pregnancies among 15–19-year-olds.

• Among black women aged 15–19, the nationwide pregnancy rate fell by 40% between
1990 and 2002.

• Among white teenagers, it declined by 34% during the same time period.

• Among Hispanic teenagers, who may be of any race, the pregnancy rate increased
slightly from 1991–1992, but by 2002 was 19% lower than the 1990 rate.

In general, states with the largest numbers of teenagers also had the greatest number of teenage pregnancies. California reported the highest number of adolescent pregnancies (113,000), followed by Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois (with about 37,000–80,000 each). The smallest numbers of teenage pregnancies were in Vermont, North Dakota, Wyoming, South Dakota and Alaska, all of which reported fewer than 2,000 pregnancies among women aged 15– 19.

The Way We Never Were

 

[steph72276]

Date: 2/18/2009 4:27:25 PM
Author: Starset Princess

Date: 2/14/2009 10:54:01 PM

Author: ksinger

Date: 2/14/2009 8:45:24 PM

Author: steph72276



Just personal opinion, but my thoughts on why the teenage pregnancy rate is going up...Kids are exposed to sex everywhere in our society today. It''s on network television, daytime television, entertainment news, magazine covers....they are bombarded with it, so it is normal for them to want to experiment with it. And parents are not being parents these days....too many want to be the child''s ''friend'' and not enough want to discipline. And not enough are teaching kids to have good values. There are no penalties to bad behavior. Also, most kids these days grow up as latch-key kids. Which is fine, I''m not saying there is anything wrong with 2 parents working, and realize that it is a necessity for many, but they have access to homes with no parents, and all these things combined lead to stories like these....

Honestly, I''m not trying to be snarky here, but before you make statements like that, you should check a few facts to see if your opinion is actually borne out by them. (Variations of this discussion have been had in here ad nauseum, to the point that I have some of these stats actually linked into my favorites, I''ve checked them SO many times...) The teen pregnancy rate overall has actually been falling for more than a decade, in spite of popular perception to the contrary. The rate of decline has apparently been slowing, up until 2006 when some groups showed signs of increase again. It''s still not known if this is a blip or a genuine trend. But suffice to say, the teen pregnancy rate has NOT been going up, until perhaps 2006, in spite of the increased sexualization of our society, which has also not just been going on in society ''today'' but has been going on for quite awhile.


From the first link I gave, the first part of the summary page:


Each year, almost 750,000 teenage women aged 15–19 become pregnant. The teenage pregnancy rate in this country is at its lowest level in 30 years, down 36% since its peak in 1990. A growing body of research suggests that both increased abstinence and changes in contraceptive practice are responsible for recent declines in teenage pregnancy.1


• The teenage pregnancy rate among those who ever had intercourse declined 28% between

1990 and 2002.


• The teenage birthrate in 2002 was 30% lower than the peak rate of 61.8 births per 1,000

women, reached in 1991.


• Between 1988 and 2000, teenage pregnancy rates declined in every state and in the

District of Columbia.


• By 2002, the teenage abortion rate had dropped by 50% from its peak in 1988.


• From 1986 to 2002, the proportion of teenage pregnancies ending in abortion declined

more than one-quarter from 46% to 34% of pregnancies among 15–19-year-olds.


• Among black women aged 15–19, the nationwide pregnancy rate fell by 40% between

1990 and 2002.


• Among white teenagers, it declined by 34% during the same time period.


• Among Hispanic teenagers, who may be of any race, the pregnancy rate increased

slightly from 1991–1992, but by 2002 was 19% lower than the 1990 rate.


In general, states with the largest numbers of teenagers also had the greatest number of teenage pregnancies. California reported the highest number of adolescent pregnancies (113,000), followed by Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois (with about 37,000–80,000 each). The smallest numbers of teenage pregnancies were in Vermont, North Dakota, Wyoming, South Dakota and Alaska, all of which reported fewer than 2,000 pregnancies among women aged 15– 19.

The Way We Never Were

Not sure about you, but I was truly not exposed to sex everywhere like kids are today. I was watching things like Full House and Growing Pains on ABC. They didn''t show the kinds of things they do today on network tv. I was too busy outside roller skating with my friends aftershool at that age to think about sex. The closest thing I got to all that is reading Judy Bloom books. Even in high school, the raciest thing I watched on tv was 90210 and while they dealt with sexual issues, it was more tame than just about anything on network primetime tv today.

 

[LAJennifer]

Date: 2/18/2009 5:52:53 PM
Author: steph72276

Date: 2/18/2009 4:27:25 PM
Author: Starset Princess

Date: 2/14/2009 10:54:01 PM

Author: ksinger

Date: 2/14/2009 8:45:24 PM

Author: steph72276



Just personal opinion, but my thoughts on why the teenage pregnancy rate is going up...Kids are exposed to sex everywhere in our society today. It''s on network television, daytime television, entertainment news, magazine covers....they are bombarded with it, so it is normal for them to want to experiment with it. And parents are not being parents these days....too many want to be the child''s ''friend'' and not enough want to discipline. And not enough are teaching kids to have good values. There are no penalties to bad behavior. Also, most kids these days grow up as latch-key kids. Which is fine, I''m not saying there is anything wrong with 2 parents working, and realize that it is a necessity for many, but they have access to homes with no parents, and all these things combined lead to stories like these....

Honestly, I''m not trying to be snarky here, but before you make statements like that, you should check a few facts to see if your opinion is actually borne out by them. (Variations of this discussion have been had in here ad nauseum, to the point that I have some of these stats actually linked into my favorites, I''ve checked them SO many times...) The teen pregnancy rate overall has actually been falling for more than a decade, in spite of popular perception to the contrary. The rate of decline has apparently been slowing, up until 2006 when some groups showed signs of increase again. It''s still not known if this is a blip or a genuine trend. But suffice to say, the teen pregnancy rate has NOT been going up, until perhaps 2006, in spite of the increased sexualization of our society, which has also not just been going on in society ''today'' but has been going on for quite awhile.


From the first link I gave, the first part of the summary page:


Each year, almost 750,000 teenage women aged 15–19 become pregnant. The teenage pregnancy rate in this country is at its lowest level in 30 years, down 36% since its peak in 1990. A growing body of research suggests that both increased abstinence and changes in contraceptive practice are responsible for recent declines in teenage pregnancy.1


• The teenage pregnancy rate among those who ever had intercourse declined 28% between

1990 and 2002.


• The teenage birthrate in 2002 was 30% lower than the peak rate of 61.8 births per 1,000

women, reached in 1991.


• Between 1988 and 2000, teenage pregnancy rates declined in every state and in the

District of Columbia.


• By 2002, the teenage abortion rate had dropped by 50% from its peak in 1988.


• From 1986 to 2002, the proportion of teenage pregnancies ending in abortion declined

more than one-quarter from 46% to 34% of pregnancies among 15–19-year-olds.


• Among black women aged 15–19, the nationwide pregnancy rate fell by 40% between

1990 and 2002.


• Among white teenagers, it declined by 34% during the same time period.


• Among Hispanic teenagers, who may be of any race, the pregnancy rate increased

slightly from 1991–1992, but by 2002 was 19% lower than the 1990 rate.


In general, states with the largest numbers of teenagers also had the greatest number of teenage pregnancies. California reported the highest number of adolescent pregnancies (113,000), followed by Texas, New York, Florida and Illinois (with about 37,000–80,000 each). The smallest numbers of teenage pregnancies were in Vermont, North Dakota, Wyoming, South Dakota and Alaska, all of which reported fewer than 2,000 pregnancies among women aged 15– 19.

The Way We Never Were

Not sure about you, but I was truly not exposed to sex everywhere like kids are today. I was watching things like Full House and Growing Pains on ABC. They didn''t show the kinds of things they do today on network tv. I was too busy outside roller skating with my friends aftershool at that age to think about sex. The closest thing I got to all that is reading Judy Bloom books. Even in high school, the raciest thing I watched on tv was 90210 and while they dealt with sexual issues, it was more tame than just about anything on network primetime tv today.

Same here.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

steph, I grew up the same. Maybe I was in a bubble or maybe it was just my community.

 

[luckystar112]

It''s clear that little Alfie has great role models in his life. Check out his sweatshirt.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2250059.ece

 

[snlee]

Date: 2/18/2009 9:48:16 PM
Author: luckystar112
It's clear that little Alfie has great role models in his life. Check out his sweatshirt.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2250059.ece

What a sad story.

 

[ksinger]

Date: 2/18/2009 5:52:53 PM
Author: steph72276

Date: 2/18/2009 4:27:25 PM
Author: Starset Princess


The Way We Never Were

Not sure about you, but I was truly not exposed to sex everywhere like kids are today. I was watching things like Full House and Growing Pains on ABC. They didn''t show the kinds of things they do today on network tv. I was too busy outside roller skating with my friends aftershool at that age to think about sex. The closest thing I got to all that is reading Judy Bloom books. Even in high school, the raciest thing I watched on tv was 90210 and while they dealt with sexual issues, it was more tame than just about anything on network primetime tv today.

Great book SP! I''m assuming from your capitalization that you ARE referring to the book. It was an eyeopener. It''s been ages since I read it, but it was chock full of myth-busting information. Funny thing...when the DH and I got back together and were comparing bookshelves, we BOTH had a copy. It''s why I married him.

 

[steph72276]

Date: 2/18/2009 7:17:42 PM
Author: Tacori E-ring
steph, I grew up the same. Maybe I was in a bubble or maybe it was just my community.

Tacori, I don''t think you grew up in a bubble. It sounds like we had a very similar upbringing. I am so glad I had parents who were actual parents and were not just trying to be my friend. My mother is my best friend today, but when I was a child/teen, she didn''t let me get away with a lot. They taught me values and morals and the importance of waiting to have sex until I was grown up enough to care for a child that might result from sex. Believe me, there was plenty of temptation/opportunity in high school, but I had values and I had goals. I wasn''t going to get pregnant and throw away the full ride academic scholarship to college I had worked so hard to achieve. I was a cheerleader who dated several guys from the football team....but I had the confidence to tell them that sex wasn''t happening and they could move on if they didn''t like it. I just wish these young girls and guys would realize they could be changing their entire future for a few minutes of pleasure. It is really sad to me.

 

[Definitely. Maybe]

Date: 2/18/2009 9:48:16 PM
Author: luckystar112
It's clear that little Alfie has great role models in his life. Check out his sweatshirt.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2250059.ece

That has to be a photoshopped sweatshirt. How horrible.

This boy seriously looks about 7-8 to me. I think I am going to be sick if I think about it any longer. Why can't they just leave it alone. I hate that everything is made so public. These poor CHILDREN are now known around the world for this. It's so sad.

 

[tlh]

Date: 2/20/2009 12:00:19 AM
Author: Definitely, Maybe

Date: 2/18/2009 9:48:16 PM
Author: luckystar112
It''s clear that little Alfie has great role models in his life. Check out his sweatshirt.

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2250059.ece

That has to be a photoshopped sweatshirt. How horrible.

This boy seriously looks about 7-8 to me. I think I am going to be sick if I think about it any longer. Why can''t they just leave it alone. I hate that everything is made so public. These poor CHILDREN are now known around the world for this. It''s so sad.

That occured to me too.

 

[JulieN]

http://news.aol.com/article/british-boy-isnt-father/398888?icid=main|main|dl1|link3|http://news.aol.com/article/british-boy-isnt-father/398888

 

[Feralpenchant]

Well, HER reputation is officially down the tubes!

Why a 14 year old is on birth control is beyond me. If not for medical reasons. I guess if you''re gonna do it, might as well be protected. But she forgot to take it.

There is a part of me that thinks a CHILD should not be allowed to decide if they are going to have a CHILD. But I know that is unreasonable.

However, another part of me remembers that WAAAY back when, having children/marrying at this age was normal. If it was done then, it can be done now. It''s not like we''ve devolved to the point where a 14 year old cannot raise children. It''s just not normal anymore, and so everyone has to make a huge scene.

But I wanna know who the father is! If only for my curiosity.

JERRY! JERRY!

 

[monarch64]

Date: 3/27/2009 12:28:59 AM
Author: Feralpenchant
Well, HER reputation is officially down the tubes!

Why a 14 year old is on birth control is beyond me. If not for medical reasons. I guess if you''re gonna do it, might as well be protected. But she forgot to take it.

There is a part of me that thinks a CHILD should not be allowed to decide if they are going to have a CHILD. But I know that is unreasonable.

However, another part of me remembers that WAAAY back when, having children/marrying at this age was normal. If it was done then, it can be done now. It''s not like we''ve devolved to the point where a 14 year old cannot raise children. It''s just not normal anymore, and so everyone has to make a huge scene.

But I wanna know who the father is! If only for my curiosity.

JERRY! JERRY!

LOL!

I worked with a gal maybe 5 years ago who was 15 when she had her daughter. The daughter had just turned 14 and the gal was allowing her daughter''s boyfriend to sleep over (yup, you know what''s coming), next thing you know the daughter is pregnant. Wait, it gets better--then the gal HERSELF ends up pregnant by her boyfriend (who has been telling her he isn''t able to have children.)

It was one of those surreal situations and every time I heard the office gossip about it I would think to myself, "Am I really hearing this? Is this REALLY happening?"

 

[Pandora II]

Date: 3/27/2009 12:28:59 AM
Author: Feralpenchant
Well, HER reputation is officially down the tubes!

Why a 14 year old is on birth control is beyond me. If not for medical reasons. I guess if you're gonna do it, might as well be protected. But she forgot to take it.

There is a part of me that thinks a CHILD should not be allowed to decide if they are going to have a CHILD. But I know that is unreasonable.

However, another part of me remembers that WAAAY back when, having children/marrying at this age was normal. If it was done then, it can be done now. It's not like we've devolved to the point where a 14 year old cannot raise children. It's just not normal anymore, and so everyone has to make a huge scene.

But I wanna know who the father is! If only for my curiosity.

JERRY! JERRY!

I'm an elected representative for an inner-city London borough that is high up in the top five worst areas for teen pregnancy in Britain. Until recently I sat on the committee that looked into these kinds of issues in the area and worked a lot with the Sexual Health team.

A lot of these kids come from backgrounds where the parents don't really give a damn, they are caught in an inter-generational poverty trap where they have no role-models who are in work (I just love our welfare state that makes this possible) and feel that they are entitled to be given money, housing etc. Education isn't valued and their greatest ambition in life is to be on a reality TV show or date a footballer...

These girls have little self-esteem or ambitions in life and having a baby will give them access to housing and something to love/be loved by in return.

The boys often have no father-figures in their lives and as they have nothing and probably never will, there is no real financial penalty for them.

Through research, we discovered that over 70% of pregnancies in our area were down to FOUR boys. Despite huge rows with schools we sent teams into each to do sex education classes (the local Catholic girl's school refused until we showed them the stats that showed that they actually had the highest number of pregnancies in the area!) and opened dedicated youth clinics where contraceptives are available. Depo is the one we try to get them on as they can't 'forget' to take it.

On-going education is vital, but in the meantime we want to protect these kids from STDs and pregnancies.

Abortion is both free and pretty easily obtainable in the UK, and all contraceptives are also free to all women. Interestingly enough, when we looked at our statistics, the girls from the black communities were twice as likely to opt for a termination that the girls from the white communities.

I thought 'Alfie' looked a little bit too immature, but I wasn't really suprised. I've had couples turn up to my advice surgeries who don't even look like they're old enough to go to the cinema alone asking for help with housing and money for prams etc

It's a very sad situation, and talking to these kids is just heartbreaking.

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Date: 3/27/2009 11:02:52 AM
Author: monarch64

Date: 3/27/2009 12:28:59 AM

Author: Feralpenchant

Well, HER reputation is officially down the tubes!


Why a 14 year old is on birth control is beyond me. If not for medical reasons. I guess if you''re gonna do it, might as well be protected. But she forgot to take it.

There is a part of me that thinks a CHILD should not be allowed to decide if they are going to have a CHILD. But I know that is unreasonable.


However, another part of me remembers that WAAAY back when, having children/marrying at this age was normal. If it was done then, it can be done now. It''s not like we''ve devolved to the point where a 14 year old cannot raise children. It''s just not normal anymore, and so everyone has to make a huge scene.


But I wanna know who the father is! If only for my curiosity.


JERRY! JERRY!

LOL!


I worked with a gal maybe 5 years ago who was 15 when she had her daughter. The daughter had just turned 14 and the gal was allowing her daughter''s boyfriend to sleep over (yup, you know what''s coming), next thing you know the daughter is pregnant. Wait, it gets better--then the gal HERSELF ends up pregnant by her boyfriend (who has been telling her he isn''t able to have children.)

It was one of those surreal situations and every time I heard the office gossip about it I would think to myself, ''Am I really hearing this? Is this REALLY happening?''

"Grandma" at 29. Wow. I don''t even know how to process that, Monarch. How did you get ANY work done in that office? I wouldn''t even be able to talk with clients on the phone, with my jaw being continuously on the ground and all.

 

[monarch64]

LOL, Fleur-de-lis...I should've phrased it "store gossip" because this was when I worked for a big department store, actually. This gal was just clueless, but it was tough to feel sorry for her when she started getting excited about mother/daughter baby showers and hinting around that the store employees should have one for them. We didn't do a shower for them, fyi.

There was another gal about her age who was on her 3rd pregnancy by a 3rd father...and one of my co-workers actually did throw a shower for her. It was a very gossip-friendly atmosphere that year. Very "Springer."

 

[vintagelover229]

He doesnt even look old enough for his winkey to get hard....I know that sounds horrible. I in shock over here. I knew young boys were having sex...im horrified...i have no words...poor kids...sounds like the parents are handling it as best they can....


Okay...just read the whole thread...thank GOD he isnt the father. But I am going to say...I know that there are many preggo 12-13 yr old girls...so I guess its a story because he looks 8...I guess thats why I was shocked.

That kid has NO IDEA what has just happened to him, how in yrs to come, he will be thankful hes not the father. Did they figure out who is?

 

[icekid]

Date: 3/27/2009 12:28:59 AM
Author: Feralpenchant

JERRY! JERRY!

This is exactly what I was thinking. Classy, folks! How sad for all of these children, and especially the newest member of this disaster. That kid really DOES look 7 and it makes me ill to think of him having sex, too. ugh.

Tacori, steph- I definitely grew up in the same era/ manner as the two of you. I am pretty certain no one was having middle-school sex and even by HS, sex was not rampant! And people who were having sex were in long term relationships, or otherwise belonged to a select trashy group. But it sounds like we were quite fortunate, compared to these kids. Parents who cared for us and kept an eye on what we were doing. Imagine that. I was too busy to have sex during HS anyway- between school, being a figure skater, and my close friends... I didn''t even have time to think about it.

 

[perry]

Well sad, I am surprised that it is such a news story or has raised such a debate.

Let me date myself here....

In the late 1960''s in central Wisconsin - our school system offered to me its first sex education in 5th and 6th grade (a different movie showed by the phy-ed teacher- and an offered Q&A session for each year: at least in the guy group - no one asked a question).

My mother offered a blue colored booklet from the Dr. for sex education. It was not that helpful...

The only form of birth control available was condoms - obtained from an adult as only an adult could buy them from a pharmacy (behind the counter - you had to ask for them). So you either had the confidence of some adult - or you had nothing at all.

My graduating high school class was about 225 people to provide a size of the school system I was in.

The first pregnancy in my graduating class occured in the 6th grade, and not a year went by afterwards without at least one. Between the 6th and 12th grade (6 years) I suspect that at least 10% of the girls became pregnant with an equal number of participating guys (and as I am trying to think it through - it may have been closer to 15%). Back in those days it was common for a family to move out of town if their daughter became pregnant - and a number of those who got pregnant just vanished from sight.

I have vivid memories of sitting in a 7th grade class where we had been formed into groups at a table for the semester (and were often left alone to talk and work on our project) where the discussion of sex came up and one of the girls telling us that she had been having sex for a while now (and with who) - and while the first time was not so great that she now really enjoyed it. When asked about birth control she said they were using condoms.

I have seen enough studies to know that this was not that unusual back then. I was well over 18 before the state allowed condoms to be sold over-the counter to anyone.

The facts - as I see it - are that kids are currious about their bodies - and the bodies of the oposite sex. Many of them will at some point go off with someone and play doctor - or nurse - or something. Many of them will at some point kiss and experiement. They will learn about masturbation and sex from other (older) kids; and some of them will experiement with sex (consensual between them) or will introduce someone else to sex once they have experienced it. All of that - without the modern movies and cultural influences.

While I agree that modern movies and cultural influences can be argued to increase the percentage of people who have sex at an earlier age; I also suggest that they also make kids much more aware of birth control, STDs, and other issues that I was never exposed to (STDs wasn''t really taught until 10th grade - which was way too late for a number of people). Overall, I think its a wash.

So yes this is sad; and neither of these kids understands now. But this is nothing new - and teenage pregnancies are not near what they were long ago.

I also give the boy credit for trying to be a dad within his limited understanding.

Perry

 

[perry]

Here is a good article with the appropriate historical and national differences:

www.guttmacher.org/pubs/tgr/05/1/gr050107.html


I note that this shows an almost 10% of births to 15-19 year olds in 1950. Unfortunately the article does not talk about the younger than 15 group (I distinctly remember pregnancies that occured in our class in 6th, several in the 7th, several in the 8th grade, etc - nominnally representing an age range starting at 11 and up).

I should also mention - that not all pregnancies resulted in births - and by the time I got to High School there were girls who got abortions (which were deep secrets and only shared among the most trusted of freinds - yet I heard about them).

Not all of those abortions were in a clinic either (you had to travel several hours to a major city - and it may have been out of state) - and I heard of a girl who died in the next town over from a "private" abortion.

Perry