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Saturday, June 19, 2010

When Movies Influence Motherhood

I was flipping through channels on cable, looking for something to watch when I stumbled upon a movie on Lifetime (yes, that is a very stereotypical station to watch as a temporary professional parent, but don't dwell on it).  The movie was entitled "She's Too Young" and was about a freshman in high school who made good grades and played the cello but started hanging out with sexually active freshmen hell bent on using their newfound powers to gain popularity.  However, one member of the group is changed when she finds out she has syphyllis, thus prompting the good girl to befriend her when she gets syphyllis too.  The movie then shifts focus as the good girl's mother goes on a crusade to unite the parents against promiscuity.  I am sure you can guess how the movie ends... the girl and her mother mend their relationship, and she falls for the "best friend" good boy who will wait forever to have sex with her though she had syphyllis.  Now, even though I am a mom of two girls, it never dawned on me that I may have to teach them differently about sex than I would sons.  I was not ignorant to this distinction; I am a teacher after all.  However, I somehow believed I did not have to apply it to my own life.  Well, here I find myself wondering what technique I will use to stress the importance of being emotionally ready for sex, or of safe sex.  And who knows what new worries will haunt me when my children are ACTUALLY teenagers.  I guess I should explore my options now:

Option 1: Scare my daughters with gory pictures of STDs.  Show them videos of the most horrible birthing experiences ever.  Reveal intimate details about how painful childbirth is from my own perspective.  We will call this option "The Stunner."

Option 2: Be almost bestiest with my daughters, and when I find out who they are dating, I can get Rob to reveal to them that, being a Paramedic, he knows many ways to not only kill them without a trace, but to also do things to their male parts that are permanant.  We will call this option "Good cop, Bad cop."

Option 3: Keep them so preoccupied that they have  no time to date.  I'm talking dance rehearsal, horseback riding lessons, piano lessons, soccer practice, knitting, whatever it takes.  Or, we can buy a farm and keep them busy that way.  However, that means I have to be busy too.  We will call this option "Busy Bees."

Option 4: We can move to a place in the midwest where the closest neighbor is 20 miles away.  We will call this option "Solitary confinement."

Option 5: We can move to a place where no one speaks English.  My girls will either only have time to learn the language to have a social life, or will decide that it is not worth the effort.  We will call this option "Tongue Tied."

Option 5b: We can travel doing missionary work and I can homeschool the girls.  They won't have time to get to know anyone before we move on to save another country from starvation.  This option will be called "Saving Grace."

Regardless of the technique I use, I will only be teaching my girls suppression and shame.  After all, sex is an instinct that keeps the species going.  Maybe deemphasising it is a technique I need to explore.  Or, maybe I just need to quit watching those stupid lifetime movies and trust my mothering instincts.  Either way, alcohol may need to be involved.  Or therapy.  Whichever is cheaper and more convenient since I will have two girls to chase.

2 comments:

  1. someone told me when i found out that i was having a boy that i only had one penis to worry about instead of many. I was a little confused and had to think about it but finally got it.

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  2. I don't think you need to worry. You're a great mommy and I know the girls will learn to respect themselves and their bodies. Plus, Aunt Chickie will come down and whoop some horny southern asses, if all else fails!

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