I was recently talking with a friend of mine about losing virginity. She comes from a very religious family, so I was fairly surprised to learn that she lost hers at 16. The way she explained it to me was that in her young mind everything that you did before sex automatically led to sex. She hadn't learned that it was okay to stop, okay to say "no, I don't want to go any further." She just assumed that once you started, you had to go all the way.

To me, that was kind of an eye opening experience. I didn't realize that some kids think that way. When I was younger, a friend of mine lost her virginity after dating someone for a short time and they had a very tumultuous relationship. I swore to myself that I wouldn't loose my virginity until I had dated a guy for at least a year.

Anyways, Lynn, I just wanted you to know that this thread basically sums up 70% of my fears about having children (the remaining 30% being part drugs part me being an awful mother). How will I make sure my kids don't end up like these 11 year olds having sex and sending naked pictures of themselves? I don't really remember my mother ever sitting me down and talking to me about self respect for my body/self... I think it was just something I knew... (maybe from her actions? my older sister?) I really have no idea, and it terrifies me because I'm not sure I'm going to know when I do have kids how to make sure they don't do these things. Heck, I don't even want them drinking or doing any drugs in school, but I don't want them to get to college and start immediately making poor decisions because I wouldn't let them for the first 18 years of their lives. I want them to wait until they are old enough to understand what they are doing and the consequences. I don't want them to be "prudes" or teetotalers all their lives, I just want them to understand and make good decisions...

Okay, sorry that got so long. This has been something I worry about a lot lately, what with being engaged, looking at houses, realizing that I'm not a kid myself anymore and that a family of my own isn't too far away....