At the recommendation of mothers older and wiser than myself, I put my teen daughters on the Pill and provided them with a bottomless container of condoms. No strings attached and no questions asked.
After bolstering myself with a glass of wine and a few tears on my friends’ shoulders, I pulled myself together, and did my job as a mom. I didn’t blink.
Of course my girls were mortified to talk openly with their mom about sex, and we were all uncomfortable. But we didn’t blink. We talked anyway, and collapsed into giggles to diffuse the tension. Between giggles, they heard that we care about them and want them to be safe. We also were clear that we don’t want them to have sex as a teenager, but if they do, we want them to be smart and safe.
After the giggles subsided, life went on as usual. Because sex and birth control had become a safe topic, our daughters shared worries about friends who engaged in risky sexual behavior, and doled out condoms trying to help.
Our daughters have repeatedly said they are grateful and proud that they can talk to their parents about sex and birth control.
Having an uncomfortable conversation with your kids isn’t a big deal. Watching your child deal with unplanned pregnancy is. Palin’s squeamishness and reliance on hope as a birth control method resulted in her daughter’s life being changed forever.
Nobody wants teenagers to have sex, get pregnant, or have to deal with the consequences. Facing reality and putting my teens on double birth control is my way of wrapping them in bubble wrap.
Palin’s parenting choices are her business until she interferes with how the rest of us parent our kids. No bananas and condom demos at school, but she does want ignorant Christian silliness taught in our science classes.
Palin and her daughter get the “choice” of how to deal with their unplanned pregnancies, but she clearly wants to overturn Roe v. Wade, ban “explicit” birth control information, and keep us from having choices. Even if it’s rape. Even if it’s incest. Even if her daughter and her “baby daddy” don’t finish school.
Obviously, she doesn’t care if there are more unplanned pregnancies, more teenagers not finishing their education.
Don’t blink. This really matters.
Filed under: Politlcal | Tagged: abortion, abortion rights, birth control, blink, bristol, bristol palin, choice, condoms, condoms and bananas, explicit sex education, levi johnson, levi johnston, palin, parenting, pregnant teens, Roe v. Wade, sarah palin, sex education, teen drop-outs, teen parenting, teen pregnancy |
Anybody Out There? 
Yes it really DOES matter- at the most basic of levels. If you are a PARENT and brought another human being into this world you have a ‘duty of care’ to your sons and daughters to be ‘uncomfortable’ for a few minutes and equip them with a survival kit of information about their sexual HEALTH until they CHOOSE to become parent themselves.
What a priceless investment you have made into the lives of your teenagers (and their future families) with the time spent in dialogue with them on this vital issue.
Well done for this brave and honest post that gives the best gift to all parents out there!!
Thanks, Carole!