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It’s completely normal for highschool teens in the U.S. and many other places to be sexually active. My husband and I were both 15 when we started having sex, often in the mornings before class and after school. We lived close to each other and spent a lot of time together, including sleepovers. What do parents expect highschool age couples to do—just hold hands? If your kid is in HS dating, they’re most certainly having sex. It’s gullible to believe they aren’t. We went separate ways for college and ended up getting married summer after senior year. I didn’t sleep with anyone else, but he had a few partners in college. We’ve now been together for over 30 years. I think freshman’s who are 14/newly 15, are too young but 16 and up is perfectly fine and healthy. |
It’s fairly common in the EU as well; especially the northern countries. |
Certainly. I believe that the American approach to sexuality is excessively prudish, and I noticed a recent discussion here regarding the American activities parents wouldn’t permit their children to engage in. Some individuals were criticizing Asian immigrants from more traditional backgrounds for discouraging their children from having sexual relations before marriage, stating it is a healthy choice. Meanwhile, Americans seem to overreact about older teenagers engaging in sexual activities, especially during sleepovers. I frequently encounter posts from college students and women after 22 online expressing that their parents prohibit them from staying over at their boyfriends' places. In contrast, I am from Sweden experienced losing my virginity at the age of 13 to my first boyfriend, who was 16. Reflecting on that moment, I recognize that I was merely a little girl still playing with toys in a playroom and enjoying playing outside in the dirt. I feel I was too immature at that time, but I believe that individuals aged 15 and above are not too young. |
| My friend from high school had an abortion at 16. When she talks about it now, 20 years later, she still cries about it. Are they mature enough to make a decision about the life or death of their child? |
It’s not the death of their child, and that can be a tough experience at any age. |
This is so wrong. NO, all kids dating in HS are not having sex. I, too, started dating my husband in HS (age 16). We waited many years before we had sex. There’s a lot between holding hands and having sex (kissing, for example). The thing is, healthy sex requires emotional maturity (& ideally commitment) and the ability to handle unexpected outcomes, like an unplanned pregnancy. For example, no BC is 100% effective, and a boy will have zero say in what happens if the girl becomes pregnant. |
Source? It depends on the state. If someone is under the age to legally consent, it doesn’t matter how old the other person is. Both are engaging in sex with someone too young to legally consent. |
The age of consent in Maryland is 16, so what happens if the police find out that two 15 year olds had consensual sex? |