To interfere or let it be

Woah, really N2L? So what's the legal age for pregnancy, out of interest? Logically that has to be 12 as well.

Back to the original topic - I know a lot of parents and grown-up ex-teens who wish their parents had been told about underage drinking and underage sex BEFORE it became a problem. And everyone was gossiping about it (including the parents of other teens and the schoolteachers, not just the peer group), we all knew people who did it - doesn't make it right, but so many people wish their parents had known and intervened, I am thinking of the long-game and not feeling uncomfortable around teenagers/young adults for the next few years. That's just my PoV.

(Out of polite interest, Bengal, why do you regret reporting? Just because of the embarrassment of seeing those ex-teens every now and then? Or was that a turning point in the relationship with your daughter? I would like to see things from your PoV too, which I really am not seeing now as we seem to be talking cross-purposes. Although I never called you names or accused you of anything, you just inferred that, although that was not my intent and so I apologise.)

As far as I know the law is mute on pregnancy.

Woah. Legally pregnant 12-year-olds is out of my comfort zone quite a way!

I confided in my "best friend" at the time when I lost my virginity. I didn't feel I could talk to my mum about it so I talked to my friend. I was 17. Unbeknownst to me, she told HER mum, who happened to be good friend with MY mum, so guess what happened? Yep, she told my mum. It wasn't until a while later that I said something to mum about it and I was horrified that she knew.

Why? A few reasons. I was shattered my apparent "best friend" had betrayed my trust and I was embarrassed that mum had found out. I was also embarrassed FOR her as she would have been in an awful spot with her friend knowing something so personal about her own daughter that she didn't know. My mum (passive aggressive at times) didn't say anything to me about it but waited for me to bring it up, but when I did, it was clear she was quite hurt about it.

So as a mum with a daughter now, how would I handle the same situation? And the one in the original thread?

Well, I am attempting to create a relationship of trust with my daughter where she feels she can talk to me about anything. I'm sure my mum attempted to do that with me, but about sex, she was a closed book. It was known that she didn't have sex until she was married and she expected us to do the same. But there was no discussion about WHY... so when, as a 17yo, I went off to Uni and had my eyes opened to the ways of the world, yeah I went a bit haywire. I regret some of the things that I did then and not waiting til I was married is one of them. Which is why I made a decision to stop and changed certain behaviours. DH and I didn't DTD until marriage. Anyway... I would hope that I can use that experience to help my daughter feel she can talk to me about things... so that I won't have to find out from someone else.

But if it is one of her friends, and she tells me, well I think I would not tell the other parent. I would want to maintain the trust that my daughter has in me.

But if there was drugs or alcohol involved, I think I would feel differently. Like some of the other PPs have said, I would expect to be informed if there was planned drinking and to be told if it was unplanned. I see that as different to sex... Maybe that's a bit skewed of me, but that's just MHO.

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Woah, really N2L? So what's the legal age for pregnancy, out of interest? Logically that has to be 12 as well.

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Do you believe that a young person who gets pregnant should be prosecuted? I don't know how that will help the situation.

Good question. I suppose I wonder how good for the 12-year-old it is to be pregnant when she still has to complete her education. It is a sad fact that, where I live at any rate, the parents' education has a huge impact on how well the child does at school. If a child has a baby before finishing school, completing her education is harder, jobs available to her will be limited, as she cannot leave her parents and set up home herself at that age (nor can the father) then the baby will not be disadvantaged by living with loving grandparents, but the "norm" of mummy and daddy living together as the adults of the house, assuming they wanted to, wouldn't be able to happen. Huge strain on parental relationship, maybe causing a break-up: not a good situation all-round.

Of course, the 12yo mother could complete her education, even to a high level, once her child was at school, or work wherever and however she wanted. The father could stay in a relationship with the mother and be able to usefully provide for his family. Everything could work out just wonderful.

But it is not overly likely.

I don't have answers, but just thinking of what happened with the girls I knew who had babies before they finished school, it's a far cry from what they wanted out of life for themselves and their children before they found out they were pregnant. (For some, of course, it isn't, but planning an immenent pregnancy when you're 12 doesn't sit right with me - at 12 we may have planned for a family, but not right away, KWIM.)

I suppose I just think a 12-year-old shouldn't get pregnant in the first place! But then that doesn't mean it isn't going to happen.

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would you tell the parents that the girls snuck off and drank???

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Yes. If only to make that girl realise the dangers of having a public FB profile & adjust her privacy settings. It's on FB & public therefore I think you can easily do this without betraying anyone's trust. Possibly the parents already know if they check their DD's FB.

Bengal i spoke to my daughter about telly her besties parents before i went ahead and talked to them about it and she was happy for me too, as she said one of the girls was really drunk and vomiting etc, in her words it was discusting. I have a great relationship with DD and she talks to me about almost everything so i also want to keep it that way. I am proud of her for the way she conducted herself on the night after speaking to the parents today they mentioned that they had heard my dd giving one of the girls a lecture about disrespecting her bestie and there so called friendship.
The parents were not surprised as they suspected something may have gone on but were not totally sure of the exact happenings, they are not going to say who they found out from just that they were directed to it on fb.
The Flying Butter this thread has nothing to do with sex and as i said i do not like these girls but i trust my daughter to find her own friends and make her own choices and i believe forbidding her to be friends with certain people can do more harm than good at her age. I have faith that she will via away from these girls in time and i think she will grow and mature into a lovely woman from learning from all situations rather than wrapping her in cotton wool. IYKWIM

sounds like you have a great and sensible DD on your hand, Madham, and a good relationship with her!

IMO you've handled the situation in way that respects her, her friends, and their parents. nicely done :)

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sounds like you have a great and sensible DD on your hand, Madham, and a good relationship with her!

IMO you've handled the situation in way that respects her, her friends, and their parents. nicely done :)

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Yup this xoxo


Cat xox

i to agree with peanutter. Good job