Everyone knows exactly what they want out of life and everything about how the world works when they turn 13. In fact, most people are ready to be doctors and lawyers when they're 12. And if they can't be doctors or lawyers, they can always be teachers... if you're in grade seven, you can teach grade six! Don't worry... if you have sex when you're 14 and get someone pregnant, your parents will help you! They will raise your child while you go out and have sex and get drunk and do drugs with your friends, so it won't ruin your life at all. And if you want to go to college or university after that, then if your parents are cool they will help you to pay for it and a child at the same time. But then again, you can always get an abortion. It's really easy and then you don't have to worry about it afterwards. And if you get AIDS, then you can still look back on all your life experiences and say 'well, I had a good life, so I don't regret a thing'. I mean, when you're 14 you have so much to look back on!
So you're saying every 14 - 17 year-old that has sex, or gets pregnant, is an irresponsible and bad person and will spend the rest of their life partying and taking advantage of their parents???
I never said anyone was bad or irresponsible. I just don't think it's a good idea to assume you know a lot about the world when you're 14. Also, the general trend is that people who don't get pregnant when they're in their teens get to do a lot more with their lives, like travel, get a proper education, have fun etc... why would you want to take those kinds of chances with your life? Especially for something that will last about fifteen minutes (but probably less, especially when you're young).
Well, when you said they would take advantage of their parents and party it up, I thought you were saying they were irresponsible. I understand what you're saying. Having kids when you're young kind of ruins the fun of being young. Which is why I'm not having kids for awhile. My brother had a child when he was young. He was over 20 but he still says having a child kind of stopped him from having the kind of life he wanted. It's not that he doesn't love his son or anything like that. BTW, he has not mooched off of my parents because of it. I mooch off of them more than he does. But my answer to the original question remains the same: you should have sex when you're ready. Whenever that is. And you should do it responsibly.
Yeah, ditto what others have said: you're ready when you're ready. Hell, from the way some of the people are talking one might think that age somehow mystically makes a person more intelligent or more "prepared" for sex... It doesn't. Look at the rate of divorce. Look at how many people are raising children alone - with no contact from the other parent. These adults were no more prepared to have a child than that ten year old. Life happens (mostly while we're waiting for it to begin). Don't spend your youth waiting to start living. You are alive now. When tomorrow comes, today will be lost forever. Do what you want with it. Or, Robert Herrick's classic seems particularly apt:
