Wash Your Hands

All of we who make up me




Tasha and I watched Penn and Teller the other day, the “Teen Sex” episode, I figured I’d comment on it. This is probably one of the biggest, most hotly debated topics facing teens today. They receive messages from all sides; from peers, from parents, and even from their teachers. From these people they hear an array of messages, everything from “lock yourself away” to “you’re still a virgin?” I think the problem with this is, which each side that gives them the information, they’re also getting some form of bias, whether it’s the protective side of parents and teachers, or the “get on it” side from many peers. I think teens need access to good, unbiased information. It’s obviously already readily available on the internet, but it needs to be presented to more teens. I also think it’s absolutely and completely absurd to try to stop teens from having sex. You won’t be successful. They’re smarter than you think. So if they are smarter than you think, why not give them the correct information, not information that sounds like it came out of the 1800s. Give them the information, and don’t freak out like they murdered someone. You were young once, give them a chance! Obviously I’m not a parent, so I can’t really know what it’s like to have a son or daughter beginning to have sex, but I can imagine it’d be easier to cope with if there wasn’t so much stigma going on. People need to learn to accept thing for what they are; this sort of exploration is a natural thing for teens around 16 or 17. They’re curious for fuck’s sake, just let them. Don’t try to play detective and bust them. Don’t yell at them if you find condoms. And if you have a daughter, talk to her about the pill. It’s that simple.  Because as Penn said it himself, trying to stop teens from having sex is BULLSHIT.

Tasha and I watched Penn and Teller the other day, the “Teen Sex” episode, I figured I’d comment on it. This is probably one of the biggest, most hotly debated topics facing teens today. They receive messages from all sides; from peers, from parents, and even from their teachers. From these people they hear an array of messages, everything from “lock yourself away” to “you’re still a virgin?” I think the problem with this is, which each side that gives them the information, they’re also getting some form of bias, whether it’s the protective side of parents and teachers, or the “get on it” side from many peers.

I think teens need access to good, unbiased information. It’s obviously already readily available on the internet, but it needs to be presented to more teens. I also think it’s absolutely and completely absurd to try to stop teens from having sex. You won’t be successful. They’re smarter than you think. So if they are smarter than you think, why not give them the correct information, not information that sounds like it came out of the 1800s. Give them the information, and don’t freak out like they murdered someone. You were young once, give them a chance!

Obviously I’m not a parent, so I can’t really know what it’s like to have a son or daughter beginning to have sex, but I can imagine it’d be easier to cope with if there wasn’t so much stigma going on. People need to learn to accept thing for what they are; this sort of exploration is a natural thing for teens around 16 or 17. They’re curious for fuck’s sake, just let them. Don’t try to play detective and bust them. Don’t yell at them if you find condoms. And if you have a daughter, talk to her about the pill. It’s that simple. 

Because as Penn said it himself, trying to stop teens from having sex is BULLSHIT.

Notes