Secret Life of the American Teenager...

[westjones]

I don't know if this is an ok topic for this board, but I would love to hear what other parents of teens think of this show. The show seems to make teens think everyone their age is having sex. And the parents on the show seem to be OK with it.

Not that long ago the shows still had girls (for the most part) waiting until after high school (like on Gilmore Girls and What I Live About You and I am sure others I can't think of right now).

Are parents really OK with their kids having sex in high school? I'm not, but I am just wondering if I am in the minority. I waited a long time to have kids, so I am an older parent, so somewhere along the line I miss a lot because I grew up with the Brady Bunch and the Waltons. A lot has changed really fast for me!

 

[NMAmy]

Most parents aren't okay with it. I take it as more of a campy, soap opera-y show. They're in it for the shock value. And I was certainly shocked by how awful Molly Ringwald looked when she was pregnant. Especially after watching The Breakfast Club a few days earlier.

DD and I watched it when she was home from college and she and I were counting how many times they say the word sex during each episode. I told her they needed to mix it up a little and add in some euphemisms like "making whoopie."

She wrote on her Facebook status, "OMG, my mom just said "making whoopie."

 

[LunchladyDoris]

I put this show on par with Juno. Basically, the parents in this movie and show were so blase about the pregnancy despite everything that came tied with it.

 

[kim929]

I just had this conversation with my dd her friends. In the episode we watched, they counted they said the word sex 27 times in about 25 min ( i'm sure there was a mistake or 2 but you get the picture, they say it a lot).

As a parent was I happy to learn my 19 yr dd was going to have a baby... um no. but at the same time, you can't go around yelling and screaming at her either. You have to deal with a lot of emotions, and at some point you try to act "normal" because this is your new normal. If this makes sense. My dd knew I was not ok with it, but to an outsider, I'm sure I looked just like the parents on this show.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

I am just a mother of two very young boys, but I'd have a hard time letting my daughter watch that show if I had one. There's a difference between how the parents are portrayed on the show--as if they condone teenage sex and even encourage it in some cases--and what happened in Juno or what kim929 is describing. It seemed in Juno that the parents did not want Juno to have sex, but given that she did and that she got pregnant, that's the new starting point for them.

 

[westjones]

We did that too....count the number of times they say the words 'sex' in one show. I writing is terrible for that show.

And I don't want to become a grandmother for a very long time, but at least at 19, they are 'adults' and out of high school (my mom was married at 19 and had me at 20, but now days that seems really young, but it wasn't uncommon not that long ago).

 

[MizTink]

I just had this conversation with my dd her friends. In the episode we watched, they counted they said the word sex 27 times in about 25 min ( i'm sure there was a mistake or 2 but you get the picture, they say it a lot).

As a parent was I happy to learn my 19 yr dd was going to have a baby... um no. but at the same time, you can't go around yelling and screaming at her either. You have to deal with a lot of emotions, and at some point you try to act "normal" because this is your new normal. If this makes sense. My dd knew I was not ok with it, but to an outsider, I'm sure I looked just like the parents on this show.

this was/is a problem for my family.
DS16 has a 6 month old daughter. my family all accepted things fairly quickly and fairly painlessly. what else could we do, really?
her family, on the other hand, probably would have stoned her to death if they thought they could get away with it! she and DGD live with us now and her family has done NOTHING AT ALL to help. whatever.....

my DN15 has been sexually active for almost 1 year (as far as i know). his GF just turned 14 and her mom knows too. both my DSis and the GF's mom seem to be COMPLETELY ok with it as long as she doesn't get pregnant.
now my DD14 will be going to high school next year and i would totally FREAK if she were sexually active.
the kids claim that EVERYBODY is having sex by the time they are 13 or so.

 

[DisneyCowgirl]

the kids claim that EVERYBODY is having sex by the time they are 13 or so.

That really scares me.

 

[MizTink]

That really scares me.

yeah, me too. how old are your kids?

 

[babytrees]

We've been watching it an episode or so a day on hulu.com

While I don't like the attitudes of the parents on the show (esp. the dads...we are about half way through the first season) it is very similar to what I see during marching band seaon from the teenagers. I also see an awful lot of parents who have their heads stuck in the sand that their children can't possibly be having sex because they don't want them too.

Am I happy that kids have sex so young? No....but I also know that they will have sex and I have always been open with my children and the show gives us an opportunity to talk about the consequences. We actually haven't been focusing on the pregnancy but more on the attitudes and actions of everybody...

 

[kellydizfan]

I watch the show every week with my 2 DD's - one is 16 and the other is 12. We have had many conversations about sex from this show and they both are agreeable to wait and have no interest in ending up like Amy in the show. THey both want to go to College and also go to Church. They know they can come to me to talk. My oldest dd came to me to ask permission if she could date back in January. I agreed to it but we set the ground rules and she accepted them. He didn't last long as he told her he loved her and she thought he was crazy and that he can't love her so she broke up with him. She has her mind made up about what she wants to do with her life and I am happy. I don't see her having sex or getting pregnant anytime soon. My 12 year old is more hush hush on the boy thing but of course she is not allowed to date at 12 like some of her friends in 7th grade. She can go with a group of friends ice skating or roller skating or to the movies but that is it and parents must be there also.

 

[Hollywoodhaha]

Oh my goodness, I know!
That show
I count the number of times they say sex also.
I am 16 and I haven't even gotten my first kiss yet and I see 8th graders getting pregnant coming into 9th grade with a child! In 8th grade I believe I was just about to throw away my barbie dolls