Blog #2 Option 1

My fiancé and I have discussed how we would approach the topic of sex and sexual intercourse with our children because we both think it is important in this day in age. Sex seems to be thrown around in the media quite blatantly, and it is important to talk to children before they develop ideas that could be harmful or destructive to themselves. Personally, I never developed this trust with my own parents and never had an open forum to discuss questions I had about sex when I was first finding out about it. My parents always relied on the schools to provide the necessary information, but the school only provided horror stories of STDs to scare teenagers into not having sex. I now see that this was a one-sided way to think about it and did not give me an open mind to sex. I just believed that if you had sex you would be punished by receiving a STD or immediately getting pregnant.

My fiancé and I would try to talk about sex with the child like a normal discussion and would not bring it up after having found out that the child was engaged in sexual activity. Not putting special emphasis on it or using “the talk” as a way to punish and embarrass is extremely important in a delicate situation such as this. We both understand that it will be uncomfortable for the child and for us as well, but it is important for the child to feel like there is no consequences to being open and honest with their parents. It is also very important that both parents are present regardless of the sex of the child because it shows support and agreement with both mother and father and builds trust for the child that either parent would be sufficient to go to. We would try to be sensitive to the child’s level of embarrassment throughout the talk and would remain at home so the child would not feel as though we were cornering them.

If the child were female, I would consider as a mother maybe following up with a gynecologist visit to talk about birth control and other contraception options open to her. My own mother was very unsupportive when I began to use birth control, so I want to help my own daughter make those decisions for herself and show my support. I do not believe, as my mother did, that this means she will sleep around with guys, only that she will be protecting herself.

Both my fiancé and I would try to explain the mechanical aspects of sex in brief detail because it is an important part of the learning process. Another important aspect would be to talk to them about protection so they know what to use when ready. What would be most important to explain, however, was the physical and emotional aspects of sex. My fiancé and I believe sex should be about love and should be an expression of love. It should be viewed as a serious commitment that should not be taken lightly. We would explain to the child that it is their body to do with what they will, but they have to be careful about the physical and emotional harm that sexual intercourse can cause. I believe also that our church has a very positive view of sex and that we should support the child in gaining valuable knowledge there as well.

One thing I would never do is say that the child was absolutely restricted from having sex or trying to give the child a negative view of sex. This will only hurt the relationship between parents and children and cause secrecy and intrigue. Sex should be an open discussion between parents and children when they are teenagers and should be a choice that the child makes for themselves.

My Feelings About the Current State of Health Care in the United States

I feel that health care in the United States is in dire need of reform. I am of the belief that everyone should have a right to health care and the fact that the United States denies people that right is embarrassing. It is also shameful that people who are trying to get medical attention are expected to go into serious amounts of debt just to pay off their medical expenses when other democratic countries like Great Britain have figured out a system where patients do not gain this debt. While the system in Great Britain may not be perfect, it still does not punish the consumer of health care like the United States. It is scary to think how many millions of Americans do not go seek the medical attention they require just because of lack of heath insurance.

I am actually one of the millions of Americans in insurance limbo right now. My job does not offer health insurance because it is a small dentist’s office. When I asked about health insurance, my boss told me that she has always relied on her employee’s husband’s work insurance to cover the medical insurance for them so she has never had to offer health care. I was dropped from my father’s health insurance plan at the age of 26, and although I am getting married in April, I was required to find a private insurance plan to cover the 6 month gap of insurance. While uninsured, I was very anxious about my health and worried that I could get sick or have an accident at any moment and be stuck with thousands of dollars in medical bills. Thankfully, I was fortunate enough to not get sick while uninsured, but I cannot imagine the millions of people that do who have to go through that fear everyday.

The major problem with United States Health care, I believe, is the fact that as a capitalist country we gear health care towards making a profit rather than helping people. We have lost sight of what the true purpose of health care is. I believe health care reform is a long time coming because so many people see health care for all as a socialist idea, and we as a nation are afraid of that.