Bring Back the Chastity Belt!

Among the many things I am not a fan of, the phrase "when I was a kid" ranks near the top. We all know things were different when we were kids then they are now. It is a matter of fact. Things and people change with time. So for the next few minutes, I am NOTgoing to practice what I preach, and I plan on using the phrase "back when I was a teenager" at least once.

Needless to say, I was shocked when I heard on the news today that one in four teenage girls in the United States has a sexually transmitted disease. Let me repeat that....ONE IN FOUR GIRLS IN THE U.S. HAS A SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE. If you are a teenage girl who is sexually active, you have the same odds of getting an STD as you do guessing a correct answer on a 10th grade multiple choice question.

Half of the girls who participated in the Federal study, denied ever having sex, yet had an STD. The most common explanation was only intercourse is sex, and that is the only way you can catch an STD. Really? So where did it come from? The disease fairy? The toilet seat in the mall's public restroom. Yes, it's true. People change over time. Apparently they become more clueless by the day. The most astonishing numbers were among the girls who admitted to being sexually active. Among the honest...40 percent had an STD. 40 PERCENT! The first question that comes to mind when reading these numbers is "shouldn't 40 percent of teenage boys have an STD as well?" Or are all the girls just sleeping with the same hand full of guys?

OK...here it comes..."When I was a teenager"...these numbers did not exist anywhere near the numbers they are today. Here is how it worked back then. Only a handful of girls were having sex...at least early on in High School. Everyone knew who those girls were. They had a name. They were the sluts. They hung out with the grits. I know...sounds harsh, but that is how it was "when I was a kid". I am by no means naive, but in today's day and age of teen pregnancy's and sexually transmitted diseases, how can so many young girls not only be having sex...but unprotected sex at that? Am I the only one bothered by this? Am I just a fuddy duddy? Are boys these days that much better at smooth talking the girls? Do kids think they are untouchable and can do whatever they want? So if my teenage daughter, and 3 of her friends are hanging out at my house...the odds are good that one of them personally knows what chlamydia, herpes, or the clap is? Is it my daughter? Sure as hell better not be. As parents we can only do our best when it comes to talking about the ramifications of sex with our children. We don't threaten them. Maybe scare them a little...but mostly we talk to them with love when it comes to such a touchy topic. After that, it is up to them on what they will do with the information. Like I mentioned in one of my posts last month.....if my daughter ends up pregnant at age 16, at no time during our conversation will I blame Britney Spears sister, music, or TV. I will blame my daughter. Why shouldn't I? I didn't make her have unprotected sex. I tried to prevent it by arming her with life scenarios of what the aftermath might be. Do I really sound like the kind of guy who wants to raise another kid? Because you know that is what ends up happening.

Like I said in the beginning. I get that kids nowadays are basically what we called sluts "when I was a kid". But one in four catch an STD? Mind boggling. The funny thing is, one thing remains the same over time. "When I was in High School" the percentage of girls who did not have sex and took school serious, went on to have much more successful lives than those who were mattress dancing and partying. Hell...I'm an example of that. (The second part). That remains true today. If only there was a way to get kids today to see that when they get older, they are going to look back at their teenage years and be like "why the hell did I do that. Was it really worth it?" All I can do is pray that my children stay among the 3 out of 4 who do not experience a burning sensation when they pee!