Parenting

So lately I've been thinking more about the future FUTURE parenting aspects. Past the diapers, bottles phase and more into the school phase and beyond.

"The Sex Talk"
My friend on Babycenter, who is in my due Sept 1-10 club, brought up the topic of the sex talk the other day. It's her first child too and she is also having a girl. Personally, I had not even thought of this topic since my daughter is still in utero so it's not like she's attracting any mates currently. And unless Jacob from "Twilight" is around, she won't be having any suitors for a while, I would assume. Well I had my first 'boyfriend' in kindergarten so I guess I have at least a few years.

I don't really remember having a 'sex talk' with my parents. I think that I was always so close to my Mom and so afraid of everyone talking about how painful your first time was that I had my own form of birth control. Fear. And when I finally did decide to have sex, it was way beyond the years of 'sex talk' age. So it was more like 'Hey Mom I'm home from college and in my early 20s you wanna go with me to pick out some birth control during break?' LOL it really wasn't that don't do this or that early on. I guess that was established with me at such an early age that I took it upon myself to wait until I knew for a fact that I was, hands-down, 100 percent ready. It wasn't for religious reasons but I did almost wait until I was married. I just didn't want to go there with someone if I didn't feel like I would always be with them. It never felt right.

It was kind of funny though because in high school and college before I had sex, everyone thought I was this huge slut because I was so open and talked about openly about sexual topics. I was definitely probably the person LEAST expected to be a virgin. I wasn't ever really embarrassed (ugh I can never spell that word) about it but it was one of the topics that made me the most uncomfortable so I thought it was just easier to have people assume that I had.

So I don't know what to do in the situation with Zoe. I guess it would be more comfortable having me have the talk than Ian. I could NOT imagine the humility of my dad ever giving me the sex talk! It would have been so awkward for both of us. I wonder if they gave the sex talk to my brother since he was more popular. I guess I would rather her hear about it from me than from her friends. I'm sure there is a book out there. I'll ask Ian if Wiley publishes a 'Sex Talk for Dummies' book. LOL

"School Safety"
So right now I am watching a Lifetime movie. Don't laugh at me! I always make fun of my Mom for watching them. But she watches the ones with the same plot lines about abuse or murder or ex-wives and I prefer and only watch the docudramas. Right now, I am watching "Amish Grace," which is about the school shooting at the Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania a few years (or more) ago. I don't really remember why the guy killed people or the story just that it happened. And it got me thinking about school safety. I don't know anyone Amish (I do know some Mennonites and even some Mormons.) The idea of being Amish and living separate from people without televisions seems very safe to me. It's kind of living in a community with a locked gate and a fort. If everyone around you has a buggy and you see a car, it would stick out, one would think. Whereas in public schools, you usually have no idea what the people around you are doing or feeling so it seems less safe. I know since Columbine and 9/11 that schools have higher safety standards. My own high school now has a police force, a security area, stricter rules, cameras and maybe even metal detectors so maybe it's safer in public schools now. I dunno. It's just one more thing to worry about when raising kids I guess.