08-12-2011, 03:21 PM
Probably the most important message for kids is, just because you CAN do something, doesn't mean you SHOULD. My kids are too young to be affected by much of this sort of thing just now, but I'd like to think that when they're old enough, they'll also have enough sense to know that you don't do things just because they seem like a good idea at the time.
At the end of the day, though, they're going to have to make their own mistakes. I just want to make sure they can make informed decisions, even if they're informed and STILL do the stupid thing
I was a very uninformed teenager, despite knowing all the science, as my parents were very concerned with morality -- so I ended up married to the first (much older) man who showed any kind of interest in me, at 19, and things did not end well. I'm glad I made the mistakes, of course, because now I know exactly what I don't want to deal with ever again... but it would have been nice to know a little more about the way of the world beforehand, so I might have been able to ask some questions earlier on.
At the end of the day, though, they're going to have to make their own mistakes. I just want to make sure they can make informed decisions, even if they're informed and STILL do the stupid thing
I was a very uninformed teenager, despite knowing all the science, as my parents were very concerned with morality -- so I ended up married to the first (much older) man who showed any kind of interest in me, at 19, and things did not end well. I'm glad I made the mistakes, of course, because now I know exactly what I don't want to deal with ever again... but it would have been nice to know a little more about the way of the world beforehand, so I might have been able to ask some questions earlier on.
It could be worse