Hope this isn't too stupid a question

[shirleyb]

OK, I admit that I have teenagers and have talked to them about sex, and protection and responsibility etc. I see posts all the time about needing education programs to prevent unwanted pregnancies, so that kids can learn about birth control.

Do kids really not know about birth control? Do they really not know where babies come from and how to prevent them? I'll admit I was a really naive teenager, but even I knew where babies came from and that if you didn't want to get pregnant you needed to use birth control.

Just curious. I think kids know this, they just don't believe "it can happen to them" or like in other aspects of their life, they feel invincible and that's more the reason for teen pregnancy then not knowing to use birth control.

 

[GeorgeG]

OK, I admit that I have teenagers and have talked to them about sex, and protection and responsibility etc. I see posts all the time about needing education programs to prevent unwanted pregnancies, so that kids can learn about birth control.

Do kids really not know about birth control? Do they really not know where babies come from and how to prevent them? I'll admit I was a really naive teenager, but even I knew where babies came from and that if you didn't want to get pregnant you needed to use birth control.

Just curious. I think kids know this, they just don't believe "it can happen to them" or like in other aspects of their life, they feel invincible and that's more the reason for teen pregnancy then not knowing to use birth control.[/QUOTE]

I think you nailed it. I think most teenagers know more than we did at that age and could probably tell us a thing or two. The one thing they have not learned is, like you said, things can and do happen to them. In some cases they just don't care. One thing I've observed with teenagers and even some young adults is that they don't think much past the moment. That really isn't anything new.

 

[C.Ann]

OK, I admit that I have teenagers and have talked to them about sex, and protection and responsibility etc. I see posts all the time about needing education programs to prevent unwanted pregnancies, so that kids can learn about birth control.

Do kids really not know about birth control? Do they really not know where babies come from and how to prevent them? I'll admit I was a really naive teenager, but even I knew where babies came from and that if you didn't want to get pregnant you needed to use birth control.

Just curious. I think kids know this, they just don't believe "it can happen to them" or like in other aspects of their life, they feel invincible and that's more the reason for teen pregnancy then not knowing to use birth control.

----------------------------

I agree.. With things being as open as they are these days - and sex ed being taught earlier and earlier - I really don't see how they could not know.. And quite frankly, I believe there are a number of teens who actually get pregnant on purpose - for a variety of reasons..

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I think methods available without a prescription do not appeal to most teenagers. I also think the exact science of ovulation is probably lost on most teenagers. They know the basic principles of reproduction, but not the minutiae. There are also a lot of myths that teens buy into, only to find out the hard way that they are MYTHS.

 

[bumbershoot]

I know that I certainly knew the options as a teen. And I figured that if I was too embarrassed to go buy condoms, I certainly wasn't in a mental space to let some dude see me nekkid.


But who knows what people know now? I mean, I see young people smoking all the time, and it's fairly obvious there's some disconnect, for anyone to *start* smoking nowadays...boggles my mind why people start that anymore.

 

[C.Ann]

But who knows what people know now? I mean, I see young people smoking all the time, and it's fairly obvious there's some disconnect, for anyone to *start* smoking nowadays...boggles my mind why people start that anymore.

--------------------

Probably the same reason that they drink and get behind the wheel of a car - because nothing is every going to happen to "them"..

 

[Alex2kMommy]

I think methods available without a prescription do not appeal to most teenagers. I also think the exact science of ovulation is probably lost on most teenagers. They know the basic principles of reproduction, but not the minutiae. There are also a lot of myths that teens buy into, only to find out the hard way that they are MYTHS.

Yes, they tell each other a lot of misinformation, it's scary!

I grew up in the '70s and early '80s, and we had sex education beginning in 5th grade (and 4th grade when we lived in CA.) And still I heard a lot of garbage from other kids!

One of my friends was talking about becoming sexually active; she was 13 or 14 at the time, and I was so surprised. I asked her if she was using some form of birth control, and she said no. I asked why on earth NOT, and she said, "Because my [other] friends told me you could only get pregnant during THAT time of the month."

I tried to correct her, but she wouldn't hear of it, she believed her other (sexually active) friends. I'm surprised that it took another two years before she was pregnant and dropped out of school.

 

[mamajoan]

Teens think it will never happen to them... or some really try to get pregnant, I see it all the time. Also they do not understand STD's at all.
They have skewed ideas that they get from other kids, other adults Guys that tell them "I can't use a condom" for various selfish reasons, Girls that think they will get fat using birthcontrol, etc.. etc..
It is important to not just sit down with your kids just once... you gotta do it numerous times. Still kids get pregnant and catch STD's, but you still have to keep trying to help them understand responsible sex. I believe that you have to offer your kids all the information and options so you can help them protect themselves.

 

[PlainJane]

My parents never had "the talk" with me. I somehow managed to know what sex was, my options as far as birth control, what 97% effective means, general information about STDs, and was aware of all the myths (water, first time, etc) by the age of 13.

AND I WAS HOMESCHOOLED!

 

[tzolkin]

Yes, they tell each other a lot of misinformation, it's scary!

One of my friends was talking about becoming sexually active; she was 13 or 14 at the time, and I was so surprised. I asked her if she was using some form of birth control, and she said no. I asked why on earth NOT, and she said, "Because my [other] friends told me you could only get pregnant during THAT time of the month."

Unfortunately, it's not just the kids. I remember when I was 11 and a friend of the girl across the street was confiding to her friend's mother that she thought she might be pregnant. The woman asked her if she had sex during her period and the girl said no. The woman assured her not to worry because you "can only get pregnant when you're having your period". I was 11 and I knew that was so biologically wrong. This was a grown woman with 4 kids.

I assume that teenagers know about contraception and where babies come from, but I honestly think that many people have misinformation. I worked with pregnant women and some of the things I've heard about sexuality, pregnancy, babies, and breastfeeding are really unbelievable.

 

[Evil Genius]

Alot of them are too embarrassed to go into a store and buy the otc birth control available.

 

[NotUrsula]

That it exists? Yeah, they know that. How it actually works and how to use it properly? Not so much. Where/how to get it? Also not so much (embarassment factor taken into account).

Once my kids are old enough to be contemplating this (soon, with my eldest DS), there will be a box of condoms stashed under the bathroom sink so that they can be taken at any time. I'm sure that the youngest will take that opportunity to make some spiffy water balloons, but so be it; I don't want access to be an issue.

The Catholic Church still publishes lovely pamphlets that explain the Rhythm Method. While I think that the method is pretty useless as actual birth control, it's useful information in the reverse sense -- it explains the ovulatory cycle rather well.

 

[mamacatnv]

I too have a teen and I have discussed it all and continue to bring it up as often as I feel necessary. I preach protection, protection, protection. He knows what our views are, he knows where we stand morally, and he knows where the condoms are, that part of my job is done. Now, I remind him and his Girly of the consequences of not using protection. I know when she is due for her BC shot and have been known to pay for it. I also am very clear, I am not raising a grand child.

Do they need redundant birth control education? No

What I do think they need is a clear understanding of how to access BC. I also think it should be readily available on the middle and high school level via the school staff, coaches, counselors etc. I believe it should be confidential.
I look at it as I would rather my kids be using birth control behind my back than having unprotected sex. I cannot prevent the sex, so give them all the tools they need to protect themselves, quietly and confidentially.

I think far too many kids think their parents will implode (and some will) but far fewer than our teens think.

Yes, I think they do know where babies come from and in many cases I believe it is because they have been learning about it since about 4th grade.

I also do not think that teens are afraid of the consequences of unprotected sex. Their friends have babies etc. I think that often they think it would be fun. That is the misconception that scares me the most.

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

If teens in western Europe can figure out how to use contraceptives and practice safer sex, American teens could do the same. We have to ask ourselves what we, as adults, are doing to create the situation. The reality is that most teens aren't getting "the talk" or sex ed. Unless and until we get more comfortable with sexuality on the whole, our teen pregnancy rates will continue to outstrip other first-world nations. We are a nation that has no problem showing graphic violence on ordinary television, but heaven forbid you see a woman's uncovered breast during prime time network shows. We have got to get our priorities straight.

 

[shirleyb]

That it exists? Yeah, they know that. How it actually works and how to use it properly? Not so much. Where/how to get it? Also not so much (embarassment factor taken into account).

I can understand the embarrassment factor. I remember buying BC in my 20's and being embarrassed! But seriously, aren't condoms pretty self explanatory? Is it hard to figure out how to put one on?

 

[chris1gill]

OK, I admit that I have teenagers and have talked to them about sex, and protection and responsibility etc. I see posts all the time about needing education programs to prevent unwanted pregnancies, so that kids can learn about birth control.

Do kids really not know about birth control? Do they really not know where babies come from and how to prevent them? I'll admit I was a really naive teenager, but even I knew where babies came from and that if you didn't want to get pregnant you needed to use birth control.

Just curious. I think kids know this, they just don't believe "it can happen to them" or like in other aspects of their life, they feel invincible and that's more the reason for teen pregnancy then not knowing to use birth control.

Depending on what kind of cultural family background and schooling you have, there are most certainly teens who know nothing of birth control, and of those who do know, may not know how or where to get it discretely so take the chance...

I should note this because I knew a girl who came from a very fundamental family, and I swear to you, this girl knew NOTHING about birth control, and nobody knew she was pregnant until her mother brought her to the E.R. for abdominal pain. Turns out she was giving birth. I have no idea how she kept the entire pregnancy quiet, she claims she didn't know.... Nobody had any idea & then the mother tried to pass the baby off as her's, but we knew better and the mother finally fessed up that it was her daughters...

 

[singingpixie]

I also think there's a difference between knowing where babies come from/knowing about different BC options and having it drilled into your head that it absolutely can happen to you and you absolutely do have to actually use BC if you're going to have sex.

Of course that should come from families, but I think the more directions it comes from (and the more painfully honest the info is) the better!

 

[drag n' fly]

OK, I admit that I have teenagers and have talked to them about sex, and protection and responsibility etc. I see posts all the time about needing education programs to prevent unwanted pregnancies, so that kids can learn about birth control.

Do kids really not know about birth control? Do they really not know where babies come from and how to prevent them? I'll admit I was a really naive teenager, but even I knew where babies came from and that if you didn't want to get pregnant you needed to use birth control.

Just curious. I think kids know this, they just don't believe "it can happen to them" or like in other aspects of their life, they feel invincible and that's more the reason for teen pregnancy then not knowing to use birth control.

I have 2 teens and yup I think you pretty well covered it

 

[Mkrop]

That it exists? Yeah, they know that. How it actually works and how to use it properly? Not so much. Where/how to get it? Also not so much (embarassment factor taken into account).

Once my kids are old enough to be contemplating this (soon, with my eldest DS), there will be a box of condoms stashed under the bathroom sink so that they can be taken at any time. I'm sure that the youngest will take that opportunity to make some spiffy water balloons, but so be it; I don't want access to be an issue.

The Catholic Church still publishes lovely pamphlets that explain the Rhythm Method. While I think that the method is pretty useless as actual birth control, it's useful information in the reverse sense -- it explains the ovulatory cycle rather well.[/QUOTE]

I agree I learned a lot about my cycle from the Natraul Family Planning class they gave us in my Catholic HS and then again in PreCana Class then I did from any talk with my mom or stuff from my friends.

I certainly didnt rely on this method when I started having sex but I think it helped me understand what was going and how crucial BC was.

 

[NotUrsula]

But seriously, aren't condoms pretty self explanatory? Is it hard to figure out how to put one on?

Sorry, should have been more clear. I wasn't speaking just of condoms, but other methods as well, and some of them are a bit more complicated to use or require some forethought.

Although there is that issue of remembering to leave a little room to account for um ... product.