# Is this a good message about sex for teens? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 6, 2004, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-good-message-about-sex-for-teens/258688 "2004-08-06T22:25:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-good-message-about-sex-for-teens/258688/41 "2004-09-14T06:05:48Z")
I have never met anyone that I was sure was an adult in every way. We have a pretty clear definition of kid nowadays that says adulthood begins at 18. I am glad I had sex before 18. I certainly was not an adult in everyway, but I don’t know how I would have made it through to 18 without that relationship. I did know one woman who had a child at 15, and then a few more. She was married to a 25 year old. Though this is not how I would choose my daughters life to be, it did seem to work out pretty well for my great grandmother. She loved her husband and even when I knew her far after her girlhood, that she still thought about sex as something fun, amusing, and relevant to her was evident at times in her words and actions. I know of no reason to suspect she was that much more grown up when she was married than I would have been at that age. She did speak of putting her dolls away when she was courting. Broad generalizations, the statement in the OP included are not worth the breath they take to say. This one is insulting and shortsighted at best. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 9:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-good-message-about-sex-for-teens/258688/42 "2004-09-14T09:33:10Z")
> [@](#): > > "Sexual intercourse is the most fundamentally powerful behavior there is on the face of the earth. It has the ability to give life, the potential to take life away, and to change life forever. So far, so good, well _fairly_ good. > [@](#): > > It shouldn’t be in the hands of anyone who isn’t an adult in as many ways as they need to be an adult. It shouldn’t be in the hands of kids." Oh dear. Patronising. Alienates those it seeks to educate. Therefore pretty pointless. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [September 14, 2004, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-good-message-about-sex-for-teens/258688/43 "2004-09-14T12:15:36Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I am going to take a dissenting opinion and say that the quote is right on. I doubt that any of you can parse the quote and come up with any part that is false or even you don’t agree with. Pick a sentence that you don’t agree with and tell us why. Yes, I am serious. Well, “Sexual intercourse is the most fundamentally powerful behavior there is on the face of the earth.” is a bit dramatic. Ask all those living with poverty and starvation. I’m sure that ability to stay alive is the most “fundamentally powerful behaviour there is on the face of the earth” A shag is a shag, hardly fundamental or earth shattering. Fun? Hell yes. Good for the soul? Oh yes. Fundamentaly powerful? Well unless you are procreating probably not so much and we all want to shag wayyyyyyyyy more times then we want to procreate. It shouldn’t be “in the hands of kids” but teenagers have been shagging forever. Our duty is to teach them to know when they are ready…and to prevent procreation and STDs. We won’t stop them from having sex, so it is best teach them what they need to know to keep themselves safe. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-good-message-about-sex-for-teens/258688.md?page=2)