Teens Put X Back In Xmas

As if eye-gouging Hot Wheels and the mythical spike in the suicide rate weren't enough, here's another holiday horror: Teens with regular romantic partners are three times more likely to lose their virginity during the holidays than teens who play the field. This data point, culled by a team of University of Mississippi sociologists from information in the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, is even less impressive than it sounds: June, not December, is the month where most teens actually do the nasty for the first time. The crux here is that serious relationship types do it under the mistletoe, though the various sources AP quotes for background all give explanations—peer pressure, TV, parental non-supervision, freedom from schoolwork—that have nothing to do with the Christmas season. The obvious explanation—that when you stop believing in Santa you can still believe in love—goes unremarked.

Comments

[Mark S.]

Oh dread of dread, horror of horrors! Young people who actually have an emotional commitment engaging in sex! Someone call John Ashcroft.

When I was a teenager I was a geeky ultra-conservative with a massive catholic streak who would proclaim the virtues of abstinence and the sins of "promiscuity" whenever the topic came up. I remember, during one health class, calling a girl who defended responsible pre-martial sex a "slut." Needless to say, I didn't get any dates--well, that and my love of computers, D&D, and Star Trek may have another reason.

Somewhere along the line, perhaps when I found my first girlfriend at age 23 (!), I abandoned the religious nonsense I had drilled into my head by my authoritarian parents. Yes, sex can be a risky behavior both physically and emotionally. However, unwanted pregnancy and STDs can be avoided if the proper precautions are taken. (Assuming they are available, I've quite a few conservative adults who would like to make condoms available only with a prescription, if not ban them altogether.) Broken hearts... that's a little less easy to avoid, but there's a good chance that you?re not going to die from being dumped by the first girl/guy who you slept with.

It's high time that our society stops trying to dictate to us how, with whom, and when we start having consensual sex. Not on the grounds that "they're going to do it anyway," but because a positive attitude about sexuality is emotionally healthy. If you're old enough to drive, vote, or make rational decisions about your life, then you should be old enough for sex.

[Anonymous]

These stories always make me sad....mainly cause I never got laid in High School.