Monday, September 29, 2008

Teenagers After My Own Heart!

Isn't this a refreshing perspective on teenagers?


Link here if the image is too small to read.

Kudos to cartoonist Greg Evans for promoting abstinence!!! This was totally me in High School.
I had no idea that some kids my age were having sex. I had heard some rumors and dismissed most as just that ... rumor. The others I chalked up to just being slutty. I couldn't wrap my head around the idea.

After junior high - I went to Catholic School in one small town and my best friend from grade school and junior high went to the public school in another little town. The public school where it was taken as fact that lots of kids were having sex. Those dirty public schools! Joke.

Needless to say, that friend and I didn't hang out much any more. Not by way of segregation... just that we were both now in different high school experiences. Different friends.

One weekend, probably sophomore or junior year - my friend and I were hanging out in her high school town. Football game or something. We were driving around with one of her new friends and the topic turned to sex. She (the new friend) asked if I'd had sex and I answered incredulously... "NO!"
Then she asked my old friend, and (in hindsight I realize...) she hesitated for my benefit. I interjected. "Ugh. Who would want to?!"
The new friend glared at me. "That's a mean thing to say!"

Oh... was I confused! I didn't mean that she wasn't pretty or desirable. It was my clumsy way of trying to say.... "We're just kids! Why would we be having sex? Sex is for grown ups... for married people!"

I couldn't get my thoughts out... and I sat there a little ashamed for unintentionally insulting my friend - and for not speaking the morals that were on my mind.

Anyway, that's why I like the girls in this comic. Brave (in an odd way) of the cartoonist to send the message... NOT EVERYBODY IS DOING IT! AND THAT'S OKAY!
I think I'll send him an email.

PS - I share Luann's sentiments on Algebra as well!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

My daughter and I had a conversation about how 50% of teens have sex and I had to go through the whole explanation again of how the media wants to sell you whatever idea they want. That the numbers are probably inflated and that abstinence is still the only 100% fool proof way to avoid teen pregnancy and STD's. Then I go into how Oklahoma figured out that the state was paying millions to unwed teen mothers so they struck the idea to teach abstinence or lose their shirt, so they did and the teen PG rate dropped dramatically, thus OK kept their money and everyone won.

Needless to say she got the point.


Knot

TRS said...

That's like the sales job that the divorce rate is 50%.
If you took out the people on their second or third marriages... what would the %age be? A heck of a lot lower!
It's the people who don't do marriage well who are having all of the divorces!!

Anyway - great conversation with your daughter.

When people mutter about how Abstinence doesn't work - I think, Funny, I've been abstinent for 11 years and I haven't been pregnant once. Nor do I have any STDs.
Well, you're right. Abstinence only works if you practice it!

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