I think I'm going to be sick - Condoms made for 11-14 year olds

Celestrina wrote: http://www.lovelyish.com/727313769/a-new-c...mt=1#1512819385

I was stunned when I saw this.

My3LilMonkeys replied: I am really on the fence about this....on one hand, the fact that children that age are having sex saddens and sickens me, and I know that there are some kids out there who would see this as permission to do so. On the other hand, there are kids that are going to be doing it no matter what, and if they are I'd rather them be safe then end up parents at that age.

A&A'smommy replied: DISGUSTING!!!!

luvbug00 replied: I only wish these were around when I was that age! My good friend got preg. At 12 she now has 3.
Its hard to fathom but realirty is sex comes sooner. Girls menstrate sooner. Someone needs to wrap
Those kids up! Imo it doesn't make sex more appealing. Sex is already huge. This just protects
The kids from having kids. Thank heaven!!! I'm all for it and I'm all for having conndoms at school too.

CantWait replied:

Honestly, what 12-14 year old is going to buy this though.

my2monkeyboys replied: I guess because of the way society is now it isn't too surprising that a condom made for a 12 year old is actually useful, but I think the fact that they named it "Hotshots" and make it appear "cool" just encourages the use of it.
Our world is going down hill so fast it's scares and sickens me....

Hillbilly Housewife replied:
the ones with an allowance and an older friend

jcc64 replied: As a middle school teacher, I am here to tell you that, like it or not, many middle school kids are sexually active. It's not about giving our blessings, or being seen as promoting it, and to think that really misses the mark where pre-adolescent psychology is concerned. What we want or think is best is tucked very far away in the recesses of their minds, and the concerns and opinions of their peers (particularly bfs and gfs) become paramount. You can talk until you're blue in the face, and you should, but in the end, some kids are still going to have sex, and these condoms could keep a very bad decision from becoming an irrevocable life-changer for everyone involved.
It's not about giving permission--it's about facing reality.

TANNER'S MOM replied: See!!! This is way I told Tanner he wasn't allowed to go to Junior High this year!! My heart is screaming NO NO NO.

Now, I have 4 kids. All teens I guess we are counting 12 as close enough to teen as they come.

I talked and talked. I told my kids come to me and I will put you on birth control and give you condoms. I won't like it and it will be hard to realize you are that grown up but I won't say a word. If you are smart enough and mature enough to come to me then I will do what I have to for you. But I still have a grandson from my step daughter who is 16. I know my 16 year son is having sex. I also know he uses condoms. He asked for them. I changed my approach with him though. I think for him sex is sex. With the girls it's being in love. So with him I took him to the Health Department and went through every STD test there is and then they gave him condoms. A years supply for like $2.00. His yard mowing money. I just wanted him to realize that he could still die and not to use women. That it can happen to everyone. He was ashamed I think at first. But I told him if he was man enough to have sex he needed to man enough to get tested and protect himself and everyone he is with.

Now, on to my baby. My BABY who is 12!! He is never allowed to leave the house again! No, I am proud of the young man he is becoming. I see the changes in him. The hair is thicker on his legs. He notices and talks about BOOBS a lot. He gets the dirty jokes and snide remarks he didn't used to get. I know he spends to much time in the shower. But, if he is in the shower I know he is alone. I am not sure how I will handle sex with him. I hope the fact that his sister has a baby, whom I wouldn't trade for the world, but also whom is responsible for alot of sleepless nights might make him think twice. I am not sure how I would handle it if he needed or wanted condoms. But the fact is he is 12, and I still know where he is, who he is with and why he is there at this point. Give me a few years to update on that and I maybe crying and saying where did I go wrong though.

I am the parent of a teen mother and I will say to other mothers, self esteem is where it is at. Boost that self esteem and self respect.

jcc64 replied: You're an awesome mom, Mel!

luvbug00 replied:

i like your last line the best! we would all be severely naive to think that it doesn't happen. Even more so to think that our kids would never do it. By that time the lessons we teach will be there but with peer pressure and the need to be accepted at at that age. Anything can happy to anyone.

msoulz replied:
While this may all be true, it is still a shame that kids are no longer staying kids. That is what I find disturbing, not really disgusting to me, but disturbing. It is just too bad that they want to take on adult activities and may face adult consequences. It all makes me very sad. And my son is 11, heading to middle school in the fall. I know all we can do is talk to him and love him and hope he listens.

jpv replied: I saw this a couple months ago at parentawareness.org and the one thing I did not like about this is the name. Hotshots is not a good name. It is good they are making a product that will help prevent kids from having kids. That can ruin a child's life... or 2 lives! I just don't like the name. It could promote even more sex between kids.

jcc64 replied:

Ita--it IS really sad that kids are in such a rush to grow up before they're anywhere near ready. As the mother of a 17 yo who STILL has a whole lot to learn about the world (and is leaving home for college in a few weeks), all we can do is cross our fingers and hope that the mistakes they make aren't TOO big.

coasterqueen replied:
So true. I think it's US as the parents that are making them grow up too fast, not just society as well. We are so quick to rush them through potty training, this that, etc. We want them to be more independent and do more things on their own -- it's no wonder why they "feel" more mature that they think they should have sex.

Danalana replied: Well, Karen, that makes me feel good because I haven't tried to get Kade to use the potty at all yet He has pooped in the potty at nanny's a couple of times, but shows no real interest. I am in NO hurry. I feel like they grow up way too fast.
I didn't look at the link...I can get the gist of it by the responses. I didn't even know what to say. Yes, we will be teaching them abstinence (til marriage), but I also know kids mess up at times. I can't say I would say "Here you go, just in case"...especially not to a 12-year old. It does seem like a free pass to me. Maybe education about STD's (when you notice the child becoming interested in things of a sexual nature) and teen pregnancy will keep them from doing it...and maybe not. I agree with the self-esteem part. So many girls wanna give it away to a guy because they want to feel self-worth and love. And so many boys want to do it because of peer pressure and fitting in. Maybe I am way naive, but I am praying that knowing who they are and that they are completely loved will be enough to instill self-worth in them. *sigh* This is one of the saddest things I have seen in a long time, though I did know it happens.

coasterqueen replied:
Glad I could make you feel good, Dana. I'm just as guilty of pushing my children to gain more independence, but it has also made me realize that has only made them grow up more than they should be. I put a lot of responsibility per se on Kylie because I also had to deal with Megan after she was born, kwim? Ryan was in Lousiana those 3.5 months, Megan was a sickly baby, and so Kylie had to be my helper. There is nothing wrong with teaching them things like that, but I have noticed Kylie has had to be a "little mom" to Megan in many ways, and so she just seems so much more mature than she should be for her age. Maybe that's a born personality trait, I dunno. I just know the same was true for me and my sister as well, and well.....I was the one having sex at a very young age and I was the one who would have been the teen mom if things didn't take a different direction for me. My sister, she never felt the desire to do the things I did and seemed so less mature than me.

I do think self-worth has a lot to do with it as well. I agree with a lot of what you said