The thing is, I get it: I understand the logic behind wanting to make sure that sexually-active boys protect themselves and their partners from disease and pregnancy if they're getting it in. Lord knows the statistics support the need: Black teens represent 69 percent of AIDS cases reported among 13- to 19-year-olds, and teen girls represent 39 percent of AIDS cases reported among the same age group. Somebody needs to do some fast talking to our young folk about the importance of wrapping it up.
But condoms for tweens?
Uh huh, you read that right: A condom manufacturer in Switzerland plans to sell "extra small" prophylactics designed to fit boys as young as 12. The company says it designed the "Hot Shot" condoms after research showed sexually-active boys between ages 12 and 14 are less likely to use condoms. Apparently, average-sized condoms are—get this—too big for their little tykes.
Um, you think? I never really thought about it up until this very moment, but I'm guessing that the company that pumps out the gold packs didn't design them with a 12-year-old in mind.
And really, have we finally reached the point in our society where we're going to make it easy for our kids—our babies—to, like, get some? And are we really expected to co-sign it? Who, exactly, is supposed to buy these little jewels for our sons', um, family jewels? What's he going to use to buy them—his lunch money? Should I pick them up while I'm at the Kroger buying juice boxes and Snickers bars? Or maybe they'll have a nice little convenient display in the toy section at my local Tar-jay; we can pick up a new Wii game and a box of Hot Shots, you know, so our tween sons can really get their play on.
Call me a prude/old school/unrealistic/naive, but this ain't right.
Hey, here's an idea: Instead of co-signing the manufacturing of tot condoms, maybe—just maybe—we parents can do our jobs—you know, go on ahead and lay down this tough but apparently necessary edict to our scooter-riding, Nintendo-addicted, booger-flicking-for-kicks set: If your peen is too small to fit the average-sized condom, keep it in your pants—you're probably too young to have sex. (With apologies to the, ahem, stick-challenged grown-up guys who may be excited by this new development—clearly, my kid-centric message is not for you. And, er, good luck with that.)
Just sayin'.
:: Shout-out to my girl Tara over at the fab Young Mommy Life for calling attention to the madness in THIS POST::
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That IS some craziness right there. Kids these days are being allowed to do more and more things that years ago would have still been ghastly to hear about. A sign of the times sadly...
ReplyDeleteMy best, Lynn
Okay so having a baby boy opened my eyes a lot. Yeah he is still a baby but he is going to grow up in this society and the fact they are making condoms for that age group scares me. How can we accept this as being okay? What happened to raising our kids right and teaching them right? I am in shock. Here I was planning on taking my son to my adopted brothers farm to introduce him to the way they castrate cows and tell him a few well placed threats about what will happen if I find out that he is having sex or if he tells me he knocked a girl up. We need to get back to the heart of the issue and that is we are simply letting kids get away with to much as parents it is our responsibility to make sure things don't get out of hand. And obviously by the fact they are making these kiddie condoms something has gotten horribly out of hand!
ReplyDeleteThis is straight trifling. Like you said, we are talking about our babies. When will we wake up and stop this madness, and recognize it for what it is - a downward spiral and decay of recognizing what is right and wrong.
ReplyDeleteI also understand the logic, but it seems like a lesson in skirting the issue. We need to talk to our kids about sex more that just making condoms smaller to fit their still developing penises. I don't think making them smaller is going to encourage kids to have sex. I don't even think they'd buy them. Like you said, how are they going to afford it? Besides that, there are adults who don't want to buy condoms from a store. Then there is the lovely CVS chain who has taken to locking up condoms in low income areas as a "loss prevention" tactic, which is wrong on so many levels.
ReplyDeleteVery interesting post. I have to agree with you that this is just crazy and what will they think of next? Times are so different then it was when I was growing up in the 70's and 80's. Now you have to worry about your children under 12 having sex. And no matter how much you teach them, they will still be under a lot of pressure. So I think it is better to have them use them then not use them but would prefer that they just wait to have sex. But kids today are so hard headed and want to be grown and all the peer pressure consuming them. Great post BTW.
ReplyDeleteOMG! Thoughts are all over the place on this one. I mean yes, I understand safe sex & yes, I understand teenage pregnancy rates, but the thought of pixie condoms just leaves me speechless. Will it encourage increased sexual activity? Will it decrease teen pregnancy rates? Oh wait, here's an idea parents need to PARENT their kids. Pixie condoms why I nevah.
ReplyDeleteok.....yes this is madness and yes this is ridiculous but would you rather your child do what he does safely or catch something that he is scared to tell you about....so he doesnt tell you....i am not sying WE need 2 be teaching our children that "doing the do" is ok go ahead and use the tweeny peeny plastic but hey...its his life and he going 2 do what he wants 2 do....he could listen 2 u and keep out of the whole charades but if he is curious enough.....at least he has a safe way of doing what he wanna do.....you may not like or be happy with his decision...but like i said...cant control them forever.....
ReplyDelete@Anonymous: I totally agree with you—we're on the same page, I think, just different paragraphs. Yes, absolutely, I agree that if a child is going to have sex he/she should know to use protection. But I'm kinda thinking that a parent who is actually talking—constantly talking—to their children about sex, the repercussions of doing it, and setting down a firm understanding of their family values as it relates to teen sex, wouldn't have to worry about a 12-year-old "doing what he wanna do." We're not talking about condoms for 16-year-olds; we're talking about condoms for 12-year-olds—kids who still watch SpongeBob and does arm farts for giggles. All I'm saying is that if our society has gotten to the point where it's easier to point out the condoms to 12-year-olds on aisle 9 rather than TALK to their kids about the rights and wrongs of it all, then we as a society are in some serious mess.
ReplyDeleteAre my kids perfect? Nope. Am I perfect? Not by a stretch. Will this family make mistakes? Absolutely. My prayer, though, is that by being a parent to my kids, this is one road we won't have to walk at age 12.
What? This made me sick too. Sadly, I bet the first place they will hand these out is in inner cities. Sick.
ReplyDeletethis is crazy. Instead of making it easier for kids to have sex...why not talk to them about the dangers of premarital sex and the benefits of abstinence. Now I know I'm sitting on my soap box here. But in this world, abstinence is the only way to go. It's not unrealistic to thing a person can't wait to have sex until married. It's unrealistic to think that we are doing these boys any good to give them pint sized condoms for thier pint sized penises!
ReplyDeleteVery thought intriguing. I worked as an OB nurse and I know childhood pregnancy and diseases are a reality. This is not something any parent wants to deal with and it seems more important to rear children to believe waiting is the best decision. However,some children are still choosing to have sex very early.
ReplyDeleteI'm just trying to figure out what type of parent will buy they're tween a condom?
Okay okay, I completely understand the whole peer pressure thing and all bcuz we all experiended it but whatever happened to being our children's first teacher. As child growing up, I was absolutely terrified of disappointing my parents bcuz they made it quite clear what their expectations of me were AND having sex at 12 was not one of them. My son's dad and I try very hard to impress upon our very impressionable 5 yr old son's mind OUR morals, values and expectations and you best believe that we will not buying jimmys to fit their teeney weeney peenies!
ReplyDeleteOMG 12yo having sex??? I know it's happening but it just doesn't even sound right. Making a condom for this age range is not the right answer. Parents schooling their kids, is.
ReplyDeleteHahahah at "stick-challenged"
ReplyDeleteok, now to get serious,
I'm so disgusted by that. True, they young kids are having sex, but making them baby condoms isn't the answer. It ENCOURAGES it. You said it right. We need to be teaching our kids to hold off on adult behavior for when they're really adults. I guess abstinence is too crazy and outdated to teach. People say it doesn't work. I beg to differ. (That's a whole different conversation, though.)
Ok, I guess I am a prude right along with you because I think this is ridiculous! I have a tween daughter 11 and a 10 year old and I would not give this option. They are kids. They still tattle tale that the other one is looking at them! My kids know that it is not ok for them to even be considering sex.
ReplyDeleteLove, and agree with, this comment of yours:
ReplyDelete"If your peen is too small to fit the average-sized condom, keep it in your pants—you're probably too young to have sex."
I think this comment should be posted around all schools.
I don't think kids should be given or told that it's ok for them to have sex while they are still on the playground playing with action figures and barbies. What would happen if the girl becomes pregnant at 12, does the boy run to his mother??
I think that it's up to the parent to lay down some repercussions of what will happen if they have sex, to hit them with some reality, not to mention to make sure they are in the presence of adults that will supervise them, especially if their child is a girl; if you can't prevent sex, make it as hard as possible for them.
I don't think it's prude to think that 12/13 is too young for sex, I think that babies shouldn't be having sex with babies!
First I'd like to comment on those who say 'how it was 30 years ago' or 'kids in their day weren't doing that'. For example, in 1850 the average age of menarche (first menstruation) in Norwegian girls was 17.0 years of age; in 1950, it was 13.0. The average age of puberty in females had dropped four years in one century. In the United States the average age of menarche dropped from 16.5 in 1840 to 12.9 in 1950.93 More recent figures indicate that it now occurs on average at 12.8 years of age!
ReplyDeleteThus, the trend toward younger dating and sexual awareness is a result. You see in 'olden days' children developed LATER, and married younger. So the problems you see now, of course you wouldn't see it back then. The problem is sexual awareness is coming earlier and stronger! How can we protect our 'babies?' While many people are argue that parents need to talk to their kids, while this is true, no matter how much we post on this blog, teen pregnancy and diseases are been spreaded around the world! So what are we gonna do? Just saying....
I have been reading and looking for The Hell? Junior Condoms for Junior and is amazing and disturbing how many blogs related to generic viagra are in the web. But anyways, thanks for sharing your inputs, they are really useful and helpful.
ReplyDeleteHave a nice day