123ducklings
Brilliant_Rock
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2020
- Messages
- 914
The laws are in place to protect minors and I agree with them and their necessity.
Not the same but an anecdote that comes to mind: When I was in high school an acquaintance was in a relationship with a man in his 30s. When she turned 18 (high school senior) they were open about their relationship and her parents put an end to it. It was a bit of a local scandal and the man ended up taking a job in another state. She was devastated, and felt it had been a committed serious relationship. By then she was 18 (the age of consent in our area) so it was legal. I remember at the time feeling that their relationship was weird to me but harmless — they were both adults so what was the big deal? It felt to me like other adults were overreacting. Now with the benefit of age and life experience I look back on things that happened and see some really predatory grooming behaviors. My acquaintance was absolutely being taken advantage of. It was unhealthy, unsafe, and I’m glad that her parents and other adults recognized clearly what was happening even though she didn’t. I’m not sure what she’d say about it now. No one wants to feel they’ve been taken advantage of. Still, it was wrong.
That said, I agree with some “Romeo and Juliet” gray area, particularly when the people involved are school peers. In my area even though age of consent is 18 it’s common for high school seniors to range in age from 16-19; students often begin college at 17.
Not the same but an anecdote that comes to mind: When I was in high school an acquaintance was in a relationship with a man in his 30s. When she turned 18 (high school senior) they were open about their relationship and her parents put an end to it. It was a bit of a local scandal and the man ended up taking a job in another state. She was devastated, and felt it had been a committed serious relationship. By then she was 18 (the age of consent in our area) so it was legal. I remember at the time feeling that their relationship was weird to me but harmless — they were both adults so what was the big deal? It felt to me like other adults were overreacting. Now with the benefit of age and life experience I look back on things that happened and see some really predatory grooming behaviors. My acquaintance was absolutely being taken advantage of. It was unhealthy, unsafe, and I’m glad that her parents and other adults recognized clearly what was happening even though she didn’t. I’m not sure what she’d say about it now. No one wants to feel they’ve been taken advantage of. Still, it was wrong.
That said, I agree with some “Romeo and Juliet” gray area, particularly when the people involved are school peers. In my area even though age of consent is 18 it’s common for high school seniors to range in age from 16-19; students often begin college at 17.