Quote:
Originally Posted by Niamh.
Are you kidding me??? If I thought my daughter was having sex at 13, she'd never see the light of day till she was about 18.
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But why? I don't understand this notion other than the fact that it's been frowned upon for generations. Don't forget childhood in itself is a socially constructed idea...when you take away all of the laws and beliefs that most people have been brought up with...you're just left with people. No children, no adults. It's difficult to comprehend I know because we're so used to it as it is now, but don't forget all around the world different cultures identify 'childhood' with different meanings.
The way I see it...as long as children are educated about sexual activity and behaviour from an early but reasonably mature age, and they are made to understand the potential consequences, not to give into peer pressure, all of the usual things...then the decision should lie with them. Of course there's ages where children aren't physically mature enough to engage in sexual activity, and so evidently there's a problem there...but the idea of education regarding the subject seems a lot more important to me than people being concerned about when it takes place. As the old saying goes...it's better to be safe than sorry, I think that applies here.
At the end of the day an individuals choice when to have sex, so long as they understand the potential repercussions of their actions and have been properly educated, are physically able to cope with it and consent to it...then I don't think that's the business of anyone else. I understand the issues but it is an age-old concept that whether parents like or not, isn't always obeyed. Knowledge overrides protection (unless it's illegal) for me.