Yep 14 the age is getting lower and lower!

...you don't say?!

I wouldn't say this is something to be proud of. As a matter of fact, I find it quite troubling.

I have a girl in my parenting class who is 16 with a 3 year old. Preggo at 12, baby at 13.

Again, this is troubling. I don't blame the children (because that's truly what they are) I blame the parents. Something is definitely wrong with a society that has such a high number of kids having babies.

Those kids shouldn't even know about sex, let alone be having it.

Considering in most cases, my tax dollars are funding this, I really think something needs to be done about it.

Yeah I know what you mean. Believe me if I could take it back I would but I can't.

I find your post troubling.

If the 'kids' are old enough to have sex they're old enough to understand the responsibility.

I especialy find "Those kids shouldn't even know about sex, let alone be having it." most disturbing. I knew about "sex" before I was 7 years old. No I'm not kidding. I'm serious. Needless to say I had no real interest in the act other than the "Why would anyone do that?" till the age of about 12. By 14 I was as horny as any other teenager, but I didn't go sticking my thing into every hole I could find, not because holes were not available either. I just didn't want to get invovled in something that I felt I was not ready for yet.

The problem isn't that "kids shouldn't even know about sex" it's that they SHOULD know about sex and be educted in such a way that they understand that it's a wonderful thing that's not to be ashamed of but carries a lot of responsibilites with it and that unless they are willing to accept that responsibility they should keep their pants on. I could go on into how kids should also be taught that sex is meant to happen with someone you love not someone you just want to fuck but thats another matter.

In my opinion most the child pregnancy problems are occuring directly because of LACK of sex education in schools. In Germany I was 10 when I first officialy learned about sex, the how, the why etc. In the US I was 16 and the "sex ed" was more like "STD bad. Condom good. Abstinance better." and that teaches nothing.

Be careful with that. You may be young enough that you need assistance learning how to take care of a child, but remember that you're the only one who can provide the child with the true, unconditional love of a parent. Learn from the mistake, regret the mistake, but don't regret the birth of your child. Raise that kid right and it will all be worth it.

I wasn't saying I hate the fact that I had her I love her to death. I'm just saying I would have done different. Does that make since?

Just making sure. Its important that a child know she's loved.

I essentially agree with FileNotFound. The problem isn't that thtey know about sex; it's that they don't know enough. Kids shouldn't be scared out of sex, but they should definitely be educated about it.

(I learned about sex when I was five or six, "learned" about it in school when I was 11, "learned" about it again when I was 13. Thankfully, my education was a bit better than what FNF describes.)

Shes loved more than she'll ever know!

Yes, perth, all too often, a child is labelled as an "accident." This creates the feeling of unwantedness and can pervade a person's self esteem into their adulthood.

R9, feel grateful that you have this wonderful new person in your life. It will be worth all the pain and uncertainty.

~Case

Thanks!

I was a New Year's Eve accident...but my mom always made sure to tell me that I wasn't a mistake. :)

I think teenage pregnancy is due to a combination of factors--bad parenting, curiosity, sex in the media, poor sex education (at home and at school), genetic defect, etc.

I've always found it interesting how much the US loves sex, yet still seems so unwilling to talk about the issues that surround it.

We look at the people who talk about the joys of sex as naughty or a bit kooky. And when people preach abstinence only, it just doesn't register like it might have back in the day.

FNF touched on this, but I think we need to be more open about it, we should push contraception more and we need to stress how serious having a child is, and how dramatically it can alter your life.

I'm lucky...my parents didn't tell me shit about sex, so I had to learn by book. That, and I had the sense to know that I didn't want any kids at such a young age. Though I think my education played a role as well.

If I recall my days of sociology class...or maybe it was one of my psych classes...anyway, the concept/theory/study/whatever was that the more educated you are, the more money you make, and the fewer number of children you have. I don't know how solid this is, but it seems to be the case (with exceptions of course). Based on this, it would seem the best place to start is in the classroom (though parents should take charge in the end).