I do not wish for a future like Levi Johnston's for my sons. The Republicans are saying "Life happens." In my world, Levi's situation feels more like "shit happens."
Take a look at Levi's MySpace page. He sounds like a typical uneducated, smart ass, punk, jock of a guy. Not the kind of gracious souled gentlemen I want my boys to become. I realize boys will be boys. The saying does not proclaim, however, that boys will be heathens. And if I had a daughter, hell if I'd want her to marry a guy like Levi. Take a look for yourself.
Excerpted from his MySpace page, Johnston boasts, "I'm a fuckin' redneck" who likes to snowboard and ride dirt bikes.
"But I live to play hockey. I like to go camping and hang out with the boys, do some fishing, shoot some shit and just fuckiin' chillin' I guess."
"Ya fuck with me I'll kick [your] ass," he added.
He also claims to be "in a relationship," but states, "I don't want kids."
His folks must be whiz bang proud. Yeah, I'm hip like the cool kids saying things like "whiz bang." I'm just happenin' like that, ya know.
I happen to know a few 18-year old boys. They are gracious, ambitious, polite, witty, and charming (not in an Eddie Haskell way). They have bright futures. The boys I knew when I was an 18-year old myself were as randy as the rest, but none would have sounded as egotistical, rude, and plain neanderthal as Levi Johnston. Nope, not son in law material for my girl (Granted, I don't have one.).
I'm simply saying that as a mother, I am appalled. Granted, perhaps naive too. When I read that MySpace page my heart jumped with a tinge of shame, worry, embarrassment, and even empathy for Mrs. Johnston. I am certain that she envisioned a different future for her son, as I do for mine. I am just struck my his seeming lack of empathy, brute ruggedness, and gross display of testosterone. What insecurity lurks behind all that machismo? I do not think those statements necessarily make the boy, but they sure lay one hell of a foundation.
Oh, and so much for not wanting kids. Is this guy really ready for fatherhood? I find it so unfair that we don't choose our parents. This child will come to the world with many strikes against him/her. Love is critical, yes. But what life lessons can a teenage mother and father impart when they have yet to experience life themselves? Cliche, perhaps. True, indeed. I write this without political motivation. I write this as a mother. As a 35-year old first time mother who still found herself floundering, hormonal, overwhelmed, awestruck, confused, excitable, moved, and impressionable.
Teaching abstinence in schools is plain irresponsible. The people who believe that teaching abstinence equates to taking the moral high ground might as well move to the lush savannahs of Africa and put their heads in the ground among a flock of ostriches.
5 comments:
I totally agree with you on the creepy-makingness of the statements you quoted. I don't quite agree with you that teaching abstinence is irresponsible. Abstinence as an option makes sense. I'm not naive enough to think that every teen would make that choice (or even the majority, for that matter!) but I do think that it's more responsible to say that abstinence is one reasonable choice. Just my 2 cents. :)
Fawn, I don't disagree with you. I should have been clearer in my writing and stated that teaching *only* abstinence is irresponsible. If given the choice, I would prefer my boys to be virgins until they're 30. Realistically, I know that's not going to happen so it is imperative that they learn and have access to their options. Having the singular option of abstinence is not enough, especially when it's too late. Thanks for the nudge so I could clarify.
Have you looked at the latest debate on teaching abstinence in the newspaper? Interesting this is up for debate with education right now.
This is a major part of what I teach at the college level. So many of them do not know all the options available because abstinence is all they have been taught in school.
Options are the key!!! They need to know what their choices are; just like the rest of life!
gphd, thanks for your perspective from someone who teaches health and sees the firsthand ramifications of teaching abstinence only in schools.
I'm interested to know whether Palin taught her daughter abstinence only...I'm just so glad Palin is a Republican because if she was a Democratic candidate, Man the people on the other side would've surely burned her alive. And now since this thing happened to one of them, I guess it's ok because it shows that Palin is normal, huh!? Sorry if this was a little off topic.
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