I was just on the thread about losing your virginity and came across the issue of age. i completly think that you should wait until you are 18 or independent from your parents before you have sex. In florida parents have legal resonsiblities to you until your 18. I know I didn’t want my parents having to bear the burden of a possible pregnancy, disease or worse? This is my semi-mundane pout for the day. What do you think is the right age to be able to have sex?
I’m 18 and still waiting. I do think you should wait until 18. I’m 18 and still waiting.
I think you should wait until you feel completely mentally ready for it, and also wait for someone who you are ** completely ** ready to share your body with.
So what about activities that don’t result in pregnancy? Should lesbian teens wait until they are 18? What activities are ok before 18?
I wouldn’t necessarily say wait until you’re 18–wait until there is someone in your life worth sharing this part of you. Chances are this won’t happen until at least a few years after you’re 18. But, 18 is still a good age to wait for, if you don’t believe in the “Mr/Ms Right” thing–there are still the concerns of pregnancy and disease.
I lost my virginity young. It’s one of the *few *things I regret doing.
Even lesbians can contract diseases. As long as you are under your parents care and legal responsibility it is a risk to them.
While it should be a factor I don’t think pregnancy is the main focus. Disease is just as important but I think it really comes to maturity - emotional maturity.
It’s always difficult to generalise but I think 18 would be a reasonable age to move into sexual relationships (hetero, homo or bi). Young people are still struggling with new found desires and emotions but are ** probably ** at an age where they have a good chance of dealing with it. The intense pre-18 years (well at least for me) wouldn’t really be ideal.
I’m glad I waited a tad longer.
Lotsa variables here. The big “losing virginity” thing is pretty much overrated in practice. The bodily expression of the inner person rates some care and respect, though. Exchanging innocence for experience is always fraught, mind or body. So it’s hard to put an age limit on meaning.
One thing to keep in mind is how much people change; you, partners, circumstances. Gonna happen, no matter what. So it’s trickier than hell saying “forever” or “never” or just “who cares?” Actions always bring consequences, and the best any of us can hope is to muddle through with kindness and some tatters of self-respect.
Above resonable limits, I don’t think there’s a clear demarcation line for age. My cousin fell slam in love at 17 and married the BF; contrary to expectations, they’re still nuts in love and watching their kids graduate. Ya just never know.
I’ve never been understood the lure of the “zipless fuck”. No matter what, I’ll still wake up with myself. So I guess it all comes down to expectations and responsiblity. Odd words for a bona fide 60’s boomer, hmmm?
But maybe the ethos remains, even if I didn’t partake in full: give what you have to give, receive gratefully, and always do it with kindness and generosity.
Veb
Not to mention in most states it’s against the law to have any kind of sex with anybody under the age of 18, unless you are married.
Hey! I’ll be married sometime in the next couple of months.
Does that mean I will be able to start having sex with people under 18? Cool.
Hmmm. I waited til I was 26, myself.
Some of my friends waited til they were 11, but I am guessing it didn’t mean that much to them, or certainly not much to their male partners(all young also).
Why wait? So many good reasons: youre not ready emotionally,you don’t want to become pregnant{which happened to 2 of my friends at ages 13 and 14},
you don’t want to be used for sex.
My fiancee will be 34 when he loses His virginity(this year) and I am glad. No one to compare me to! He’s all mine! ha
I think anyone under 20 is really not ready to start having sex, although there are some exceptions, who are the minority.
I’m 17 and waiting. Not 100% by choice, but partly because I’ve never had the chance. I don’t know what I would do if I had the chance (It would probably be no, but it’s easy to say that now)
Actually the age of consent is 16 in many states (there’s a complete chart here.
Of course this is obviously a “say as I say, not as I do” thing, but in hindsight I’m gonna have to say that teens really should wait until they turn 18. It has nothing to do with emotional maturity or being in love… to me it’s a legal issue. Until I’m 18, my parents were legally responsible for me. Had I gotten infected (syphillis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, genital warts, herpes, HIV, hepatitis B), and needed medical assistance, it would have been on the health insurance program my parents paid. Had I gotten pregnant unwillingly (because no birth control method is 100% effective) would have resulted in tremendous disruption to my family. At least by bein 18 I would have had the legal right to make my own decision about things.
Well i say wait until you at least 60. You wouldn’t wanna take any chances. 
It if it is illegal for you to have sex, you should never have sex?
Personally that is one form of civil disobediance that I understand.
While it’s not the only reason for waiting on sex, the primary one, IMO, is the potential long-term consequences: pregnancy, diseases, etc.
We have different legal standards for minors than for adults because we believe that minors, on average, haven’t adequately internalized the connection between their actions and the potential repercussions. By that same standard, my strong feeling is that minors have no business engaging in genital or anal sex.
And a more personal opinion, along the same lines, is that you shouldn’t engage in acts that can lead to your having to take care of another human being before you’ve reached the point of taking care of yourself. Seems to me that until you’ve done the latter, you probably aren’t prepared for the former.
Not to be snide, but isn’t this sort of an ironic rant from someone who faces six weeks of abstinence with trepidation?
(http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=27896)
It would be nice if kids would wait until they’re at least 18 but I don’t think it’s realistic. Kids these days are having sex at a younger and younger age. I can’t imagine being 11 or 12 years old and having sex! Your mind and body just aren’t ready for it at that age! I wasn’t even thinking about sex at that age!
I was 17 when I lost my virginity I wish I would have waited just a little while longer. I was ready for it and was mature enough for it but I did it with the wrong person. I was rather naive when it came to relationships back then and this was the first “adult” relationship I had been in. But at least I figured out what kind of man i didn’t want to end up with so I guess I learned something from the experience!
I wish that everyone would wait until they are emotionally, physically, and mentally ready for sex and would wait until they are really and truly in love before having sex. I hope that my kids will be able to view sex as an incredible experience to be shared between two people who are in love with each other, respect each other, and are committed to each other. I wish someone would have taught me that when I was a teenager… maybe I would have waited a little longer and made sure that I was with the right person.
16 or 18, I wish some parents would take that “legal responsibility” thing a little more seriously. Few things are sadder than meeting or hearing about a kid kicked out on the street because they told their parents they were gay, pregnant, etc. I worry less about parents having to take responsibility for their minor child’s actions, and more about the ones who don’t step in at some level. Most kids can’t grow up on their own.