Quote:
Originally posted by Atticus Grinch
I beg you not to have kids until you start thinking rationally.
Parenting involves the constant creation of artificial consequences to substitute for the real-world ones that are too remote for the kid to understand or appreciate. You teach the kid to predict the good and bad consequences, some of which are entirely of your creation. Sex has consequences. The good ones are obvious; the bad ones far less so. If a parent does not help the kid to understand them --- including by the creation of artificial consequences --- the kid does not magically turn out knowing how his or her behavior will turn out. Em winds up thinking that consequences are randomly assigned, and there's no harm in risky behaviors.
I do not understand how you reconcile "no one under 25 knows what they want" with "teenagers and preteens should not be discouraged from having sex, 'cause that will only make them want it more."
|
No one learned shit from "artifical circumstances." You learn by doing and experiencing. I will obviously tell my kids not to get pregnant and to avoid sexually transmitted diseases responsibly, but I will not preach abstinence because its unrealistic and contrary to human nature. I will merely give them what I know and drill it into their heads that they'd better not come home knocked up or having knocked someone up. To that end, I will give them free reign to go on whatever pills will exist at that point, and I will almost certianly give my son as much money as the strongest Hefty Bag strength condoms will cost at the time.
But I will not be one of these idiot parents who tells a 17 year old kid that responsible sex is the end of the world. Nor will I try to enforce some false religious values on the kids. Just tell em pragmatically what can happen and that they must be responsible. Thats all you can do.
