In the news this week is a story about a company, Forever 21, that is launching a clothing line for pregnant teens and young women. This is stirring up an intense controversy. In my mind it is much like the idea that toys in Happy Meals cause fat kids.
The "Love 21 Maternity" line, according to Larry Meyer, executive vice president of Forever 21, is focused on their customers who are eighteen and older. They have opened the line in five states, three of which (Texas, Arizona, and California) have the highest teen pregnancy rates. Because of those states, the accusation, according to the story on www.foxnews.com, is that Forever 21 approves of teen pregnancy. Meyer states that it is just coincidental about the three states.
Now I will admit to being a devout capitalist. I support people who develop a product and find a way to market it successfully. In my thinking, if they saw those rates of pregnancy and said, "hey, there is a market for our designs," there is nothing wrong in that. It is a long way from saying, "let's design some great clothes so more kids will get pregnant."
I am also a devout "parents rights" person. But that works two ways. I want the government to stay out of the home and let parents raise their kids in the best way for their own family. However, that means that parents have the responsibility to make good decisions. Parents need to do all they can to prevent teen pregnancy, rather than just hide in a closet and hope it doesn't happen to their kids.
To continue with my first analogy, clothes don't cause pregnancy, people cause pregnancy. Just like toys in kids meals don't make kids fat, irresponsible parents that won't say "no" do. And I have more faith in our teenagers than that. Teens don't get pregnant because of cute clothes. If they deliberately get pregnant, there are bigger issues in that child's heart than what they are wearing.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Montana Has it Wrong: Parents Should Teach Sex Education
If you get your news from the internet or watch Fox News, you know about the controversial sex education program proposed by the Helena, Montana school board. I tried to find a story about it on CNN but could not find one...interesting.
For those of you who have not heard the proposal, there are several topics that have raised the ire of many of Helena's citizens. First is the idea of teaching kindergarten students correct names for body parts, such as penis, vagina, nipples, testicles, etc. Second on the hit list is teaching fifth graders about sexual intercourse, including vaginal, oral, and anal. And the third item on the school agenda is teaching erotic art to high school students. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100714/ap_on_re_us/us_montana_sex_education
What the heck are they thinking?
It is one more example of government (aka: schools) usurping parents rights. If a parent wants to call their son's penis a pee-pee or a tallywacker, then they have the right to make that decision. If their daughter comes home from school in first grade and wants to know why a classmate has two mommies and no daddy, it should be up to the parents to discuss it with her--not the school.
When I was in school, in fifth or sixth grade we had to watch "the movie." Girls watched it together and then the boys watched it. Part of health class, it taught basic sexual anatomy. It was just the scientific data--nothing added. The schools did not see it as their place to teach about how and when to have sex. It did not teach all the different forms of sexual activity.
Almost fifty years later, it is still not their place. What to share and when to share it with their kids are parental decisions. No government entity should interfere with any of the basic tenets of parenting, including something as important as sex education. We have a recent example in which a school encouraged a pregnant teen to not tell her parents about the pregnancy. If she would not tell them, the school offered to make arrangements and provide transportation for an abortion. I have already written about this in an earlier post, but it still enrages me that the school would actively encourage the child not to confide in her parents during this difficult time.
These are moral and ethical decisions that should be family-based. We, as parents, have to rebel against outrages such as these. In the next election, fire all those school board members and replace them with people who will not trample on parents rights. The parents who showed up to speak against this proposal were heard. Hopefully when the board meets next month, there is a chance that the plan will be altered.
Good job, Montana parents, for standing up for your rights! I am rooting for you.
For those of you who have not heard the proposal, there are several topics that have raised the ire of many of Helena's citizens. First is the idea of teaching kindergarten students correct names for body parts, such as penis, vagina, nipples, testicles, etc. Second on the hit list is teaching fifth graders about sexual intercourse, including vaginal, oral, and anal. And the third item on the school agenda is teaching erotic art to high school students. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100714/ap_on_re_us/us_montana_sex_education
What the heck are they thinking?
It is one more example of government (aka: schools) usurping parents rights. If a parent wants to call their son's penis a pee-pee or a tallywacker, then they have the right to make that decision. If their daughter comes home from school in first grade and wants to know why a classmate has two mommies and no daddy, it should be up to the parents to discuss it with her--not the school.
When I was in school, in fifth or sixth grade we had to watch "the movie." Girls watched it together and then the boys watched it. Part of health class, it taught basic sexual anatomy. It was just the scientific data--nothing added. The schools did not see it as their place to teach about how and when to have sex. It did not teach all the different forms of sexual activity.
Almost fifty years later, it is still not their place. What to share and when to share it with their kids are parental decisions. No government entity should interfere with any of the basic tenets of parenting, including something as important as sex education. We have a recent example in which a school encouraged a pregnant teen to not tell her parents about the pregnancy. If she would not tell them, the school offered to make arrangements and provide transportation for an abortion. I have already written about this in an earlier post, but it still enrages me that the school would actively encourage the child not to confide in her parents during this difficult time.
These are moral and ethical decisions that should be family-based. We, as parents, have to rebel against outrages such as these. In the next election, fire all those school board members and replace them with people who will not trample on parents rights. The parents who showed up to speak against this proposal were heard. Hopefully when the board meets next month, there is a chance that the plan will be altered.
Good job, Montana parents, for standing up for your rights! I am rooting for you.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Can You Make a Difference?
As promised, on the Fouth of July, my new e-book became available. Unfortunately, I had also promised a few more patriotic blogs leading up to the 4th and the book launch. No one told the nasty cold bug that knocked me flat on my buttocks last week that I had all this "stuff" to do. With the immense help of my daughter in law, Susan, I managed to get the book ready and not much else.
My big plan was to have a wonderfully clever and remarkably intelligent blog on Independence Day to celebrate. Instead I laid in bed, barely conscious that it was a holiday. Oh, the best laid plans of mice and men....!
Since my brain is still functioning on a low level, I thought I would share a sample of the book with you:
Teach children that one person can make a difference in someone
else’s life and in the world. I recently read a transcript of Oprah
interviewing Will and Jada Pinckett Smith. Some wise words came from
Will Smith when asked how they keep their kids grounded. "I tell them all
the time: 'Mommy and Daddy are rich. You all are broke,'" he says. "We
don't allow them to just sit around. We talk about the concept of the group
and the necessity of you adding to the family. Then you have to add to
your neighborhood, and then, you have to add to humanity.”
This exactly what I am talking about. It starts with the family. Sometimes
all it takes is a smile to brighten someone’s day. Or a quick phone call to
a sick friend keeps them from feeing alone. Compassion, courtesy, and
sincere caring for others should be made to be part of the family
“brainwash.”
In our country’s history, family has always taken care of family and
neighbors have always taken care of neighbors. It is why we collect
money for earthquake survivors, for cancer patients, and for the elderly
lady down the street who cannot pay the rent because she had to spend
extra this month for medicine.
This is not the role of government, schools, or employers. It really gets my
goat that now many employers use the amount of volunteerism a person
does as a criterion for how much of a raise they are entitled to for the year.
Volunteer work, while worthwhile, has nothing to do with the average
person’s job performance. In fact, that does not sound like volunteerism;
more like indentured servitude, to me. It is the job of the parent to instill
this value into their kids. Or not…their choice.
Another example to share with children is that in 2009, there was a local
election in a small town in Florida. The victor won by one vote because
only one person showed up to vote. Talk about one person making a
difference!
The e-book can be ordered free for a limited time from my website http://www.parentsrulewithpat.com
My big plan was to have a wonderfully clever and remarkably intelligent blog on Independence Day to celebrate. Instead I laid in bed, barely conscious that it was a holiday. Oh, the best laid plans of mice and men....!
Since my brain is still functioning on a low level, I thought I would share a sample of the book with you:
Teach children that one person can make a difference in someone
else’s life and in the world. I recently read a transcript of Oprah
interviewing Will and Jada Pinckett Smith. Some wise words came from
Will Smith when asked how they keep their kids grounded. "I tell them all
the time: 'Mommy and Daddy are rich. You all are broke,'" he says. "We
don't allow them to just sit around. We talk about the concept of the group
and the necessity of you adding to the family. Then you have to add to
your neighborhood, and then, you have to add to humanity.”
This exactly what I am talking about. It starts with the family. Sometimes
all it takes is a smile to brighten someone’s day. Or a quick phone call to
a sick friend keeps them from feeing alone. Compassion, courtesy, and
sincere caring for others should be made to be part of the family
“brainwash.”
In our country’s history, family has always taken care of family and
neighbors have always taken care of neighbors. It is why we collect
money for earthquake survivors, for cancer patients, and for the elderly
lady down the street who cannot pay the rent because she had to spend
extra this month for medicine.
This is not the role of government, schools, or employers. It really gets my
goat that now many employers use the amount of volunteerism a person
does as a criterion for how much of a raise they are entitled to for the year.
Volunteer work, while worthwhile, has nothing to do with the average
person’s job performance. In fact, that does not sound like volunteerism;
more like indentured servitude, to me. It is the job of the parent to instill
this value into their kids. Or not…their choice.
Another example to share with children is that in 2009, there was a local
election in a small town in Florida. The victor won by one vote because
only one person showed up to vote. Talk about one person making a
difference!
The e-book can be ordered free for a limited time from my website http://www.parentsrulewithpat.com
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