Too Late for Sex Education

Any junior high student could tell you that by the time students get past the 7-8th grades, it's too late to even think about teaching "abstinence" . Most 9th graders are already more experienced than their parents were as seniors in high school. They have become so much more sophisticated and knowledgable than most parents will even consider, much less..accept. They also have their own dictionary of terms, phrases and words. They probably don't consider oral sex as being 'sexually active', share openly among friends about their activities, and think they are a lot smarter than they actually are. What they don't realize is that STDs can be transmitted in ways other than the traditional "sex act' and that STDs are rampant among teens of all ages. Thanks to the 'older generations' idea of 'don't ask, don't tell' in this area as well, they don't get the correct information because their parents want to think their children are "asexual" during this period of their lives. WAKE UP, PARENTS!!! YOUR KIDS ARE DOING "IT" and more and you are so naive. If you're thinking that your teens are thinking about anything else most of the time, you're naive. If you think 'not MY child', you are naive. If you believe that you child wouldn't be influenced by peer pressure along with their raging hormones, you are very naive. If you refuse to accept this as truth, you are also blind...not looking...listening...reading....thinking; and, you may be BLIND-SIDED as well as blind before you can digest the notion that it's truth and reality...and it's happening NOW!!! If sex education...and I'm not talking about the misguided, foolish, dark-age notion of abstinence ( MANY KIDS LAUGH AT THE VERY IDEA)...BUT real sex education that teens can and will accept (because it makes more sense to them) and perhaps use, our teen birth rate in MS will continue to be over the top and STDs will continue to proliferate among the sexually active. Reports from the CDC: 59.5% of 9th graders ADMIT to being sexually active (as I said..most don't consider oral sex as "being sexually active"). These children (who may be having' children soon) need to be empowered with accurate, safe-sex information. This is not just for their own good, but for future generations that they need to only bring into this world when they are mature, responsible, independent, and mentally-emotionally-psychologically ready for parenthood. Parents, you need to FORGET the idea that you need to "respect their privacy", as long as they live in your home and are dependent on you for their livelihood, this restriction DOES NOT WASH. YOU BETTER KNOW WHAT THERY ARE DOING, SAYING, LISTENING TO, AND WHO THEIR FRIENDS ARE AND WHAT THEY'RE DOING.As a responsible parent you owe this to your children, you brought them here through no choice of theirs, they are your responsibility, and you SHOULD be held accountable for what they are doing and DO!! You are TOO OLD to be their FRIEND; you should be the PARENT; set limits, expectations & standards. Someday, they'll thank you for it (OR BLAME YOU!!)