My Question of the Day: Children grow up extremely fast these days. Before they’re in high school, they’re talking about dating. Should teens be discouraged from dating one person exclusively?

My 2 Cents: Yes, teens should be discouraged from dating one person exclusively, because they need to experience different people with different personalities. It’s the exclusivity of dating one person that gives them the idea to “play house,” per se. They think they’re safe with this one person to explore their sexuality, and it’s hard to get them to understand that a guy/girl they “love” in high school probably won’t even be someone they would consider dating when they’re in their twenties or thirties, because they and the other person is going to change so much.

Teens should be encouraged to know who they are before they invest extensive amounts of time trying to get to know someone else who likely doesn’t know themselves, either.

———-

The commentary doesn’€™t have to end!

Please feel free to continue to add your comments below.

———-

RULES FOR COMMENTS

1. DO NOT include links in your post. There is a place for you to include one link when you’re filling out the Name/Email/Website information. Comments that include links will be deleted.

2. If your post is obviously irrelevant to the question at hand, it will be deleted. This is a tactic spammers use to simply show up on blogs.

3. Please keep your comments respectful. We can agree to disagree without attacking each other.

My Question of the Day: Teenagers put themselves in situations where they have to make grown-up decisions all the time. With that in mind, and thinking of teen dating and all the things that happen when teens try to grow up too fast, do you think we should go back to having chaperons accompany teens on dates?

My 2 Cents: The idea of chaperons appeals to me on so many levels, even though I don’t have children. Teenagers have all these rights but they lack the maturity to always make the best decisions. I’d like to see more supervision for these young people.

———-

The commentary doesn’t have to end!

Please feel free to continue to add your comments below.

———-

RULES FOR COMMENTS

1. DO NOT include links in your post. There is a place for you to include one link when you’re filling out the Name/Email/Website information. Comments that include links will be deleted.

2. If your post is obviously irrelevant to the question at hand, it will be deleted. This is a tactic spammers use to simply show up on blogs.

3. Please keep your comments respectful. We can agree to disagree without attacking each other.

My Question of the Day: It seems that young people fail to realize what they do today can come back and haunt them in the future. That being the case, what (if anything) should be done about teenage “sexting” (sexting is “sexy” text messages that can include semi-nude or fully-nude photos with or without explicitly-written content)?

My 2 Cents: Anyone taking the attitude that “teens will be teens,” needs to get a firmer grip on reality when it comes to this latest “sexting” craze.

“Sexting” by those under the age of 18 is considered child pornography.

If/when teenagers are found to be in possession of and/or distributing images of themselves or others under the age of 18, they can be charged with a felony crime, and made to register as sex offenders if they are convicted.

You think I’m making this up?

Tell that to Phillip Alpert, who vengefully sent nude images of his then-16-year-old ex-girlfriend to “more than 70 people, including her parents, grandparents and teachers,” according to an article in “Nation & World.” At the age of 18, Alpert was convicted of sending child pornography, sentenced to five years probation and required to register as a sex offender. His childish prank will follow him for the rest of his life.

What about Jesse Logan whose life ended when she committed suicide after an ex-boyfriend sent naked images of her to other girls who taunted and harrassed her so badly that she didn’t want to go to school and decided living with the shame and humiliation of “sexting” wasn’t worth it?

Oh, yes. There are the one 14- and two 15-year-old girls in Greensburg, PA, who sent nude and semi-nude images of themselves with three males across their cell phones, which were confiscated when one of the students had her cell phone on during class and a teacher saw the content? The phones of all the teens were confiscated, and they were charged with possessing and distributing child pornography.

According to an article by Sharon Jayson of USA Today:

Most of those (teenagers) surveyed (73%) said they knew sending sexually suggestive content “can have serious negative consequences,” yet 22% said it’s “no big deal.”

If your child has a cell phone, or if your child is reaching the age where you’re considering getting him/her a cell phone, please don’t take ”sexting” lightly. It’s no joke.

Check out Is Your Teen “Sexting?” and Sex and Tech: What’s Really Going On for more information on this subject.

———-

Take a few moments to check out the tweets from Twitter on this subject:

———-

blacknthick  it goes back to there. Up bringing no one wants you to discipline there child or correct them and most folks are trying  are trying to be there child friend some don’t have any good examples to look up to in there household

JoshDamage  there isn’t much to be done. In some states there are laws and awareness campaigns. Kids just gotta be smart.

———-

The commentary doesn’t have to end!

Please feel free to continue to add your comments below.

———-

RULES FOR COMMENTS

1. DO NOT include links in your post. There is a place for you to include one link when you’re filling out the Name/Email/Website information. Comments that include links will be deleted.

2. If your post is obviously irrelevant to the question at hand, it will be deleted. This is a tactic spammers use to simply show up on blogs.

3. Please keep your comments respectful. We can agree to disagree without attacking each other.

My Question of the Day: You decide it’s time to sit down with your 13-year-old son and talk about the “birds and the bees.” You have a very good relationship with him, and he feels comfortable telling you everything. When you begin the subject, he stops you and tells you that he already knows all he needs to know. You ask him how. He tells you that he asked his regular babysitter (a 19-year-old female who has watched him since he was a toddler) to show him what girls like and she did. What do you do?

My 2 Cents: My first priority is to keep my cool and listen to everything my son has to say, and then explain to him how totally inappropriate his interactions with the babysitter were. My next move is to call my babysitter and ask her to meet with me immediately. After I finish giving the babysitter most of the pieces of my mind, I’ll let her know her services are no longer needed.

I can’t honestly say that I’d get the authorities involved, but I would definitely call any of my friends who were also using this young lady as a babysitter and let them know of my situation.

I also agree with @rahsheen; if I’ve waited until my son is 13-years-old to talk to him about the “birds and the bees,” I’ve brought some of this heartache and stress on myself. In our highly-sexualized society, I should have been talking with my son about sex and sexuality as soon as he could speak in complete sentences.

———-

Take a few moments to check out the tweets from Twitter on this subject:

———-

John_Hinds I’d tell him ‘I’m proud of you son! Mackin on them older women. lol

JoshDamage I wud certainly be furious and fire her but I’m not sure I’d press charges against her.

———-

The commentary doesn’t have to end!

Please feel free to continue to add your comments below.

———-

RULES FOR COMMENTS

1. DO NOT include links in your post. There is a place for you to include one link when you’re filling out the Name/Email/Website information. Comments that include links will be deleted.

2. If your post is obviously irrelevant to the question at hand, it will be deleted. This is a tactic spammers use to simply show up on blogs.

3. Please keep your comments respectful. We can agree to disagree without attacking each other.

FYI: You may edit your comment for up to 30 minutes after posting. After 30 minutes, your comment can no longer be revised.