DD (14) is boy crazy, not sure how to deal

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Normal activity. But I would have VERY open and honest talks with her about oral sex, sex, peer pressure, inappropriate pictures, social media sharing of pictures, etc.

Be prepared to start birth control by 16, and have condoms in the house available for taking. Again, it may be completely unnecessary, but you cannot be too safe. At very least she can give condoms to friends if they need them.

No. Many parents will understand that she and you are enabling such behavior among minors. Please don't.

No, you are not living in the real world. Sixteen year olds while they are minors they can buy condoms. It's not against the law. If a teen is going to have sex they have already decided before getting condoms.

What the law says and what parents feel about it is very different, PP. I live in Bethesda, in a rather international community, where families come from different parts of the world with their own cultural values. Please don't make the mistake of thinking all families are fine with such behaviors. I would not be happy if another teen handed condoms to my teens, particularly not if said teen shared that his parents encouraged him or her to do this. I would think you were extremely rude. My teens look to me for guidance and are aware of our family values. I talk to them about STDs and pregnancies and why protection is important. But from there to handing condoms to someone else, there is a wide gap, and it's shocking you can't see it.

They can go to a store and buy them themselves. They can get them at school. If they want them they will find them. Better a condom than pregnancy. No one is giving them out like candy.

But if they are coming to me I am absolutely going to give them condoms. This has nothing to do with cultures and everything to do with safe sex.

[Anonymous]

I had so much sex when I was a few years older that I would be ashamed to pick condoms from my parents (like, how many - 10? and parents are there, counting!). Having condoms along with M&M's in a drawer doesn't help anyone, ridiculous.

[Anonymous]

But if they are coming to me I am absolutely going to give them condoms. This has nothing to do with cultures and everything to do with safe sex.

If that's how you roll with your own kids, great. Why don't you get that you have absolutely no business doing that for other people's kids? That has everything to do with respecting the rights of other parents to parent their own kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I had so much sex when I was a few years older that I would be ashamed to pick condoms from my parents (like, how many - 10? and parents are there, counting!). Having condoms along with M&M's in a drawer doesn't help anyone, ridiculous.

You know, this is actually a really good/interesting point. I am on the side of the PPs who want to promote safe sex and I have no issue with condoms being available. But how likely is any kid going to actually take condoms that are "communal" like that. At that age, I would never. For exactly the same reason the quoted PP mentioned. Better maybe to just GIVE the kid a box directly and be done with it. That way you can't be perceived as "monitoring" whether they get used...