Teens who wait to have sex, forgo drugs should be proud of choice

Detroit News ^ | 7/16/02 | Betty Deramus

[concerned about politics]

Don't trust anyone my buddy at college "Tex" told me a lot about so called "christian" girls in his hometown of McKinney after one lectured him about chastity before marriage apparently she talked with her friends that weekend about 4 football players she "did it" with that week.

By their fruits you will know them.
Some idiot public school guy would marry her, I'm sure.
Maybe she said she was "Christian" just to get rid of the guy, d'ya think?

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

We are Catholic and have been burdened with a liberal, educated-at-seminary-in-the-60's priest. My kids (as well as the entire parish at every mass) have been lectured ad nauseum on the evils of American capitalism and individual greed to the tune of about 500 times. EVERY single homily has social justice as the theme. According to this guy, Americans are single-handedly responsible for every misery of the 3rd world.

NOT ONCE have my children heard him speak to individual responsibility, chastity, and the sanctity of marriage!

Wow! That puts things into perspective. Why does your parish tolerate this? Is this behavior typical in the American Catholic Church? If so, no wonder there's a moral crisis within it.

[weikel]

The guy wasn't interested( at least according to him and Ive never known Tex to lie) she thought she was just lecturing a Texas "good ol' boy".

[FreeTally]

It almost seems as if we agree. Maybe I misunderstood exactly what your position was. IMO, I just think that "don't do, ever" means "even when you ar an adult". Again, I don't think any parent wants to see their child grow up to be a drug addict or an alcoholic, but it seems that we agree that "adulthood" is the only proper place for such use or "experimentation".

Also, I have to admit that one of the things that kept me straight as a kid was the fear of what my parents would do if I got caught drinking or doing drugs. I just think it may be a better idea to also explain that all "drugs" are not some evil boggieman, and adulthood is the only proper place for an indiviudal to make the decision as to use or to not to use.

I don't have any problem with "dont do - until you are an adult". Luckily, I made that decision myself - never did any type of "drug" or drank until I was over 18.

[FreeTally]

Perhaps we're not so far apart then. Your position sounded much like the stuff the public schools had been pushing about treating kids as little adults.

No, I certainly do not propose treating kids as "little adults". I can't stand adults who think "we" should listen to the opinions of young children as if they have "the answers to everything". I just think that many times, parents should explain "why" they are telling them what they are. At ten years old, this may not work. At 14-17 years old, it may. I think explaining "why" to a teenager is on a totally different level than giving creedence to the "opinions" of children who know nothing(I mean on social issues such as the environment, gun control, politics, etc).

[Holding Our Breath]

Gosh PLK, I thought the Lutheran church was the only one suffering from this malidy. (sp) I even threatened to turn Catholic once just after 9/11 because our Pastor was preaching be kind to the Muslims ad nauseum without saying one word FOR the USA and it's citizenry! There's more to my anger, but it would take too long to post....

[Holding Our Breath]

Glad to hear your daughter won't be using caffeine, alcohol or tobacco.

Then again, they don't have to be prescribed by a doctor to be taken. In other words they are legal! So what's your point?

I believe that's good advice for any child.

[steve50]

I asked my lawyer about a prenup before I dove in. Almost impossible to get one worth the paper it's written on to stand up in court, according to him. Maybe it was a state thing, but he claimed if it didn't take good care of her she would beat it.
She did pretty well when she left.

[be131]

Caffeine, alcohol and tobacco are drugs just as much as cocaine and marijuana, and more harmful than the latter.

[weikel]

See don't get married.

[PLK]

Well, I understand all the comments made by the five of you. However, it becomes complicated when it's the church you have attended for years & the faith community there is important to you and your family (the priest isn't EVERYTHING). The priest is aging and very close to retirement. And actually, his homilies have provided good fodder for discussion amongst us. I think our kids have learned a great deal during the car ride home from mass about conservative values. It hasn't been all bad in that it has given us opportunities to discuss our beliefs with our children.

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

You and your family adapted well, but think about all the poor folks in the parish that actually eat up the guy's crapola and are denied good homilies every Sunday.