What gives?
Statistics and news reports show that kids are starting at a younger age.
I think (for myself) it would be scary to be a kid now. Today’s kids are growing up in a society that constantly stresses them and confuses them. Their heads are probably all messed up.
Not in the sense that they’re crazy or anything, but in the sense that it’s hard for them to make sound and informed decisions.
Sex, to them, is probably just another thing that’s lying around, waiting to be tried.
Its about the influence around them, easily ready materials from the net, TV, the friends around them and what they could get hold of off the streets all at the end of the day ‘encouraged’ these kids into it.
It’s not a menace but it’s an unhealthy culture that needs to be looked at. At the end of the day, it’s what the parents, teachers and friends around them should do to educate the kids before it gets out of hand.
No one wants to cry HELP only when there’s a life form being created inside the womb right?
Unless they have pretty much started in the womb these days then this is a story that comes up pretty much every year. If you read back to ancient Greek times you will find writers complaining about how the younger generations have gone off the rails, so it’s nothing new.
The newspapers dig up stories of younger and younger children having sex over and again. I’m pretty sure that it’s not a general trend, but isolated cases are used to make good headlines.
…and another thing: Disraeli commented that there are “Lies, damn lies and statistics.” You can make the numbers mean anything you want.
I’d have been interested to know where the trigger for the article came from. “Media reports” is such a catch-all…
It’s human nature that the more it is forbidden, the more they are likely to do it, once they taste it, they’ll crave for more. In other words, it can’t be prevented. So what we can do is educate them to “do it” wisely. Instead of doing the coitus interruptus method why not — condoms (recommended, we all know that), basal body temperature method, natural monthly method, etc… At least they’ll venture out “prepared”, and it’s gonna be a more pleasurable sexperience for both parties.
Michael Yip: I think the problem is that it is really very hard to educate kids on the right values. Every kid is different and will respond differently to the same parenting strategy.
Kids, when they reach a certain age, especially with peer influence, might find themselves breaking rules rules even though they might not really want to. I’m not sure how I would keep my own kid in line, too, if I had a kid! lol.
Jesta: This topic came from the news report last week about this 15-year-old boy who had sex with an 11-year-old girl early last year. He was arrested in August.
Here: http://www.asiaone.com/News/Education/Story/A1Story20081215-107817.html
Peaches Mode: What’s basal body temperature method? Er… I think the idea is to get them not to have sex at all, lol. :P
More infor here… http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basal_body_temperature
Very disturbing.
What the kids need is neither “prohibition” nor “(sex) preparation”, but rather reasoning skills, e.g. who they want to be, where they want to go, do you follow whatever you see or what others are doing, what it means to have sex, what are its possible consequences, are they ready, etc.
No one can make decisions for them. They simply need to first comprehend and apprehend.
So… a single case then. This is a disturbing story, but it’s hardly a trend. Having been in the newspaper industry I am well aware of the need for a good headline, but I think that this is a fairly isolated case – even the article pointed out that this was the youngest case that they had come across.
We do need sensible education about the dangers and risks, but it should be sensible, not sensationalistic or the kids will find out on their own and the people that they should trust will lose credibility.
Certainly, a sprinkling of sensibility is necessary.
Trends emerge slowly. For example, 1 in 4 youths have had sex, according to a July 2008 survey conducted by Bayer Schering Pharma of 240 ITE students, aged 15 to 20. Perhaps this cannot be generalized to all youths, given that this survey was conducted only among ITE students. Still, this figure is very high compared to my time (ahem! many years ago).
Not to stray off from topic. How many people (read: girls) you know, regret how their first time, but still continue doing it anyway? Especially since years after their first.
It happens, too much too often for all we can say, or care. Just like other statistics, millions die from alien flu virus, millions die from choking on seaweed, millions here and there and we can only be glad that we’re not one of them millions, and in this case, we’re either glad that we’re not one of them, or our kids.
… and who are we to argue with the beast surrounded by raging hormones? Words of wisdom? Teenage A “I’m GONNA DO EEET!” Hermit-on-top-of-mt.smokey”Don’t do eeet aka you will regret it (especially in the event of a knock up)”. Who’s gonna listen? Fashion mags so easily accessible with tips, hints, tricks, walkthrough, cheats and what not to be lvl 99 in bed, who’s gonna listen? Then we have internets…
yalor… younger and yuonger…
problem in family is one of the reason kids trying to search for love outside the family. Parents don’t have time to educate their children due to work and kids rely more on friends and media to grow up. Sex sales in the market but it gives the wrong signal to immature kids regarding sex before marriage. I’m not sure how they measure their temple (body), according to own will or peers pressure?
The difference between now and 100 years ago.
100 years ago, 15-year-old were not called kids.
WAPANG !!!!