I'm officially not looking forward to the prom. Thousands of dollars on one night for our kids? I don't think so! But at least I don't have the angst a whole bunch of California moms who are absolutely apoplectic that their kids were handed condoms after the prom.
Imagine! Kids practicing safe sex after prom! How ... wonderful? I almost wish my kid went to the Visalia Unified School District!
OK. OK. If I think about my daughter having sex, I want to dig screwdrivers in my eyes and throw bleach in my ears. Or maybe it's the reverse. That's how discombobulated the concept of my girl and the whole S-E-X makes me.
But when I stop being uber emotional about it and start acting like an adult, all I can thinks is "don't want to be a Grandma until she's graduated from college." It's a mantra that I will recite to myself, albeit silently until we reach 21 or 22, at which point, well, that's up to her. And it's one I know takes a bit of me giving up on the whole "want to put blinders on and pretend my daughter doesn't have one of thoooooose." I have to talk to her about sex. It's my job. And I need to talk to her about SAFE sex.
I plan to do that (she's only 6 right now, so no, we're not there yet). But I also hope someone else will step in and reinforce it. Because I remember what happened when my mom tried to have "the talk." I literally stuck my fingers in my ears and sang, "La, la, la." (Cut me some slack, it was a long time ago). As much as my parents tried, they were still my parents. Hearing it from another, disinterested party, seemed so much more reasonable.
If someone is going to volunteer to pay for a whole bunch of condoms and actually push them in my kid's hand on prom night? I'm all for it. It's a nice back-up mechanism for all the preaching.
So I admit I'm a bit ... confused? ... by these parents pitching a hissy because their kids got a condom. If they did a good job with the whole sex talk, what are they so worried about?
What would you do if your kid was handed a condom after the prom?
Image via Paul Keller/Flickr
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Comments 18
to be honest i dont mind it. just because i will teach my lil boy about safe sex doesnt mean who ever hes datings parents did.
They are teenagers, they aren't going to stop in the middle of a make out session and contemplate the wisdom of the situation...I prefer to be safe than sorry.
I'm for safer sex education, with an emphasis on abstinence. Condoms could be made available in advance, perhaps at a health fair booth. But conecting availabilty and distribution to prom sends the wrong message about expected celebratory activities.
Yeah, I'd be thrilled! Because yes, I wil teach my son about safe sex, but like so many things (don't run in parking lots!) I know my son will need to hear it from someone not me to truly beleive it is SERIOUS and that he needs to heed the advice given him. Yeah, I hope he will be smart enough to provide his own condoms (or perhaps not screw the first cute girl who lets him?) but lets face it, he's a guy, he will be super horny, and he won't be thinking with his more logical brain. So please, don't just offer them, walk around and shove handfuls of free condoms in my sons pockets!