by Rene Syler (www.GoodEnoughMother.com)
Since I was out of pocket a good part of the day yesterday shooting a segment for the upcoming Father Albert Show (more on that later but you can see some of the behind the scenes pictures here), one of the loyal GEM’s left a link to this story on my Facebook page. Let me say it’s a good thing I watched the piece after a good night’s sleep and on an empty stomach.
The story is about the growing number of parents who are allowing their teens to have sex in their own homes. Go ahead and insert the sound of screeching tires here!
Okay you all know where I stand on sex education and the abstinence debate; I honestly don’t believe saying, “Don’t do it!” is enough to keep your kids from hooking up. Therefore I think you need to arm them with the right tools, answer every question they have and then some (including making sure they know what your expectations and beliefs are) and then keep a (close) watch on them.
However, by keeping a watch I don’t mean allowing them to shag someone in the next room! Literally I was through when the blogger in the piece said one mother allowed her child to have sex at home so they would be safe and comfortable. Comfortable? Really?? What, she let’s them do it on the 1,000 thread count sheets, with low lights and soft music? Who ARE these people?
This is way too close to those parents who let their kids drink in the home, using the excuse that, “Well they’re going to do it anyway, they might as well be safe.” How are you so sure they’re going to do it anyway? And shouldn’t you be telling your kids that this is unacceptable and how disappointed you are/will be if they indulge? Should you be parenting based on your kids’ safety and development (moral and otherwise) as opposed to what everyone else is doing?
So for me, I’m gonna give this idea a big, fat fail! I will make sure my kids have sex education, all the condoms they need, birth control pills and more BUT I refuse to give them approval to do the deed in my home.
Okay, that’s my take, what about you? Would you ever allow your teenager to have sex under your roof? Why or why not? Fire away”...
After two decades as a television news anchor, including 4 years on CBS’s The Early Show, Syler decided it was time for a change. Tired of reading from a teleprompter, René was determined to find her own voice and inspire women like herself ““ juggling busy lives, raising children and trying to live up to impossible parenting ideals. The result René’s missive on modern motherhood, Good Enough Mother: The Perfectly Imperfect Book of Parenting and its subsequent website www.goodenoughmother.com