You will not believe this

[GaryC 7]

I know I said I would refrain from talking politics but I just saw this article. It frosted me so much I had to share it. No matter what side you come down on in the area of teaching your children about sex I don't think I have ever seen a more intolerant, hate filled story.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?...notes051206.DTL

[MichelleandCraig 1]

Oh boy. Hmmmm...errrrrrrrr.

Well, all I can comment on this, after(admittedly skimming) reading it all, is that nothing can come of anything!(IMO, of course) that is TOO rigid. Parents that believe their children should be virgins until marriage(and nothing wrong with that!) should talk to them, tell them the reasons why, explain why they believe premarital sex is wrong,etc. and then LEAVE THE DECISION to the children themselves. As this article illustrates by saying many break the vow anyway(in fact, a majority going by the findings here) no amount of heavy-handedness is going to solve the problem of kids having sex too early,etc. Education is always the best route, informed decisions and raising responsible children smart enough to make their OWN choices. M.

[GaryC 7]

Oh boy. Hmmmm...errrrrrrrr.

Well, all I can comment on this, after(admittedly skimming) reading it all, is that nothing can come of anything!(IMO, of course) that is TOO rigid. Parents that believe their children should be virgins until marriage(and nothing wrong with that!) should talk to them, tell them the reasons why, explain why they believe premarital sex is wrong,etc. and then LEAVE THE DECISION to the children themselves. As this article illustrates by saying many break the vow anyway(in fact, a majority going by the findings here) no amount of heavy-handedness is going to solve the problem of kids having sex too early,etc. Education is always the best route, informed decisions and raising responsible children smart enough to make their OWN choices. M.

I agree with you. But the author of this trash sounds like anyone that tries to teach waiting until marriage is close minded and an idiot. It is the responsibility of the parent to teach their kids according to their own moral foundation. If you think fully educating and informing is the way to go, fine. If you want to go the abstinence route then that is also your right. But this guy makes anyone that wants to go the moral Christian route is a closed minded moron. He also sounds like we should turn our teenage girls into Dr Ruth or something. There is such a thing as balance.

[MichelleandCraig 1]

Oh yeah, Gary. I totally agree with you...the guy was WAY out of line. I was just thinking as I read it tho, that the parents or fathers in this case, were as well. M.

Edited to say: could have been a much more informative, and accepted article if the sarcasm was toned down just a BIT!!!(or..a ... LOT!!???). The part I disagree with in the article is the over the top way these parents are going about it..not the actual idea. I don't know many parents who say to their children: here's some condoms..go have fun. Ya know? BALANCE ...from both sides. M.

Edited May 30, 2006 by MichelleandCraig

[antone 0]

But is enforcing ignorance on our children a "right"?

I dunno. The tone could do with some moderation, but I'm not really sure I can find all that much, fundamentally, to disagree with.

[lilsnobunny 0]

Wow, thats really going the distance for your daughter.

I am not oppossed to the thoght of waiting until your married, or not waiting until your married. Either way that, it is your choice that you are to make at a later part in life- After puberty has set in.

Sure, you could pledge now to daddy hen your still an innocent child.. but i have doubt that the pledge will stick in there precious little head when they become a teen and start discovering the opposite sex. as mentioned in the article.

but heck, if you believe that the purity balls are the way to go, then good on you. who knows they may very well achieve their goal.

i must be in agreence as well, the author could have toned his own opinions down a notch, or at least attempted to make them tasteful.

[Fuzzness 2]

sucks when a "liberal" person tries to tell you what you can and can't do, don't it?

while i don't agree with some of the things he said (many partners = skill) I think this chastity ball thing is really weird and goes too far.

[Fandango 1,440]

I think the charity ball is strange, but hey, different strokes, eh? I will admit I skimmed only as well after reading about 1/3 of the way down

The author sounds wildly insulted by the whole thing, which to me is kinda worse. Big whoop de do, they're virgin balls or whatever. No skin off his nose, yet he's bashing the hell outta them.

Don't get it,

[Ladylethal 12]

I hate those.

[pax 1]

But is enforcing ignorance on our children a "right"?

I dunno. The tone could do with some moderation, but I'm not really sure I can find all that much, fundamentally, to disagree with.

I think Antone has pretty much gotten it. The rhetoric is perhaps purposely inflammatory, but the core of the argument is not really far off from what I believe myself. And I'm a Christian as well.

[Jaylen Brit 1]

Maybe I read it wrong but I didnt see outrage - more a kinda of a resigned, raised eyebrow 'oh heck, can it be?' tone about values some people hold to be true.

I ignored the flowery prose, which I grant is writeen in the tone of outrage, but also I thought rather tongue-in-cheek and tried to read the meaning.

I don't agree with the balls as described (and 6 year olds know nothing 'meaningful' about virginity being so far from puberty) - its always a narrow, rocky path trying to impose YOUR values on another human being - if they (values) are to mean anything they must be arrived at after thought and education. Then the decision is not 'I want to please my dad' but 'this is MY choice for MY life' and that's quite cool.

Personally I don't care if my daughter remains a virgin or not - its her body, her life and her choice, I'd rather be worried (worried doesn't mean imposed either) that she stayed safe, had good relationships, and made informed choices.

[Fandango 1,440]

But is enforcing ignorance on our children a "right"?

I dunno. The tone could do with some moderation, but I'm not really sure I can find all that much, fundamentally, to disagree with.

I think Antone has pretty much gotten it. The rhetoric is perhaps purposely inflammatory, but the core of the argument is not really far off from what I believe myself. And I'm a Christian as well.

I disagree.

The point is, it's not our lives to decide how to live them, and these people aren't hurting anyone, so why should anyone care? Sure we can mock them for their beliefs, but if that's what they believe in, who the hell is anyone to take the piss? There should be no core or no argument...how these people want to raise their children is their business and no one else's. yanno?

[Fischkoepfin 1]

Welcome to the world of Mark Morford! He tends to write editorials in this tone; it's his trademark, and while I can see how it could be conceived as insulting, most of his readers think he is hilarious. It's more tongue-in-cheek than right-out serious.

However, as much I enjoy reading his editorials, I do think he's another outgrowth of current degenerated public discourse. I wonder if Ann Coulter's editorials which are at least as offensive in tone and not meant to be satire but rather outright assaults would cause the same reaction among those on here who are offended by MM.

As to the topic, he's right on. There's nothing wrong which encouraging kids to learn about sexuality, and knowing about it doesn't mean not being to able to wait until marriage if one wants to. Quite the contrary, sex education helps most people to make educated choices and to not rely on experience exclusively.

[pax 1]

The point is, it's not our lives to decide how to live them, and these people aren't hurting anyone, so why should anyone care? Sure we can mock them for their beliefs, but if that's what they believe in, who the hell is anyone to take the piss? There should be no core or no argument...how these people want to raise their children is their business and no one else's. yanno?

It is absolutely their right to raise their children as they see fit. It is also my right, and anyone else's, to call their behavior variously simple-minded, naive, or downright dangerous. Welcome to America.

[Fandango 1,440]

The point is, it's not our lives to decide how to live them, and these people aren't hurting anyone, so why should anyone care? Sure we can mock them for their beliefs, but if that's what they believe in, who the hell is anyone to take the piss? There should be no core or no argument...how these people want to raise their children is their business and no one else's. yanno?

It is absolutely their right to raise their children as they see fit. It is also my right, and anyone else's, to call their behavior variously simple-minded, naive, or downright dangerous. Welcome to America.

Never said you didn't have the right to say it.