I tend to agree with this, though I am not against all methods of birth control, only those that might be abortifacient (IUD, hormonal types). I will give my kids an education in these things because I want them to understand the ethical implications of different types of BC, and to prepare them for married life.

Statements like this are what make your posts sound very condescending.

I think I favor no one-on-one dating for teens, but rather socializing in groups. My daughters have made many astute observations already about male behavior from their friendships. I know one college girl whose family followed a more "loose" courtship model - more like guided, thoughtful dating - who ruled out a guy she had been seriously considering, after a group camping trip. He let the girls gather all the firewood while he sat on his butt. :D She said she's not sure she ever would have known that about him if she had only seen him in more traditional settings (restaurants,etc). She's now happily married to a doctor who is as active and outdoorsy as she is.

I wish my dating life had been like this. For me and most of my friends dating meant getting involved. My mom's dating life in the 50s and early 60s was more like yours. She had a different date nearly every Friday. While I lean towards a courtship model, I think it is important that they don't get involved with the first guy that shows an interest. Maybe I want a melded dating/courtship thing. Well, what I want is for them not to get attached to an unsuitable person. Soooo, we talk a lot about what they should be looking for in a mate and when the appropriate time for that is.

You know, I think my mom said they had already taken him to their GP. It sounds like he needs to see a specialist, though.

Sounds similar to watermelon, lol. Thanks, everyone for your help! I have forwarded your replies to my mom. She is more up to date on the situation than I am, and has a close relationship with my sil.

So it is possible that he has a genetic tendency to this, and that it gets aggravated by changes in diet/schedule? Poor little guy,my mom told me his sisters tease him about it (though they get called out on it seriously when they get caught). Interestingly,one of the older sisters has issues with chronic constipation, so it would seem to be a family tendency. He didn't tell me. Things were too quiet, I got suspicious, and I happened to find him and my son in the bathroom together. My son (6) was helping him get cleaned up, and they were trying to clean the potty. He didn't tease him about it though, perhaps because he suffers from his own issue (nighttime wetting). Bless his heart. So what should I be feeding him? He is a pretty picky feeder anyway. I would have thought more fiber, fruits and vegetables, but Daisy mentioned no stone fruits?

Did it eventually resolve itself? My mom says my brother and sister are at their wits' end about this.

So you are saying that an elected official can never be tyrannical?

My mom and I are taking turns keeping my seven year old nephew. I was really surprised last night to find that he had had a BM accident. :001_huh: I called my mom, and she said that he does that occasionally, and had done it twice at her house. She says he gets so busy that she thinks he just misses the signal. He doesn't have urinary issues, though. Is there any possibility this could be stress related? His mother and father go for several longish trips away each year (they are on one now). His mother is one of those busy, million irons in the fire, very social kind of people. His older sisters have very similar personalities to his mom, and I don't think it bothers them. He is homeschooled, but not home all that often, if that makes sense. I just wonder if the crazy schedule is messing with his digestive system.

Nor are they at mine, even though I hope for and expect abstinence.

Agreed. I don't think tyranny has only to do with the vote, though. A democracy can tyrannize a minority. I would rather have lived under certain monarchies in history than certain democracies.

See...once again I think of John 8. Where was the boy? That's awful. When Joseph thought Mary had had relations with another man while they were betrothed, "being a righteous man, he resolved to put her away QUIETLY." I think that tells us God's heart about these matters right there.

Here's a quote from the article mentioned above: This has been my experience over the past 18 years of being a part of the "evangelical" church. I can't think of one teen pregnancy in my last three churches (obviously doesn't mean I was aware of everything). I don't think my kids are somehow immune, but their set of friends makes it easier for them. As the last page of the article indicates, I also think there are some socioeconomic issues going on here. I DO see that everywhere. Plus, I just don't think that babies are always seen as the life-derailing tragedies in places where evangelicalism is common as they are in other American sub-cultures.

Oh, I wasn't referring to America.

What if you can vote, but it is ignored or just for show?

My MIL is VERY supportive. She was hesitant at first, though she tried to keep her opinion to herself (she's a great mother-in-law). Over the years she has gone from tolerant to one of our biggest supporters. Her daughter, who is also a teacher, is outwardly supportive, but I think she is just trying to be polite and a good sil. I am glad she does, but I suspect she privately disapproves.

:iagree: But, I will say that the Walmart closest to me is very different from the next two closest. I hate those and avoid them like the plague. But I love my local Walmart.

I knew plenty of kids in school who knew all about birth control, and still had unprotected sex. Sometimes teenagers are just dumb. ETA: For that matter, I had some college girlfriends who did the same thing. One of my bridesmaids had two abortions while in college. She knew all about birth control, but for whatever reason, very often failed to use it. She would frequently forget to take her pills for weeks at a time.

Speaking of creepy crawly critters...has anyone found that they are way more afraid of these kinds of things now than before they had kids? It must be hormone related or something. I used to have no problem holding a snake, but now I can't bear to look at them. My kids think I am hilarious - it is so much fun to catch a snake to scare momma. :glare:

I've gotten used to the scorpions. One night we heard my daughter groan....it was because she was afraid to scream, because if she did the scorpion would fall in her mouth. That's right - the scorpion crawled on her face while she was asleep, and stung her twice, once on each lip. :svengo: Thank goodness she happens to be the wildlife wrangler in the family. After we made sure there were no more scorpions in her room, she went right back to sleep. :001_huh:

I love our Walmart. It is clean and friendly.

:iagree: Our church follows a similar pattern.

Oh, I didn't mean to sound as if I was disagreeing with you. Sorry if it came across that way. I was really just responding to the general idea of the thing. Confession is an important part of the Christian life regardless of denomination, IYKWIM?

I have no issue with people doing this voluntarily, or a church leader, etc., but hauling a young pregnant girl up there as a condition of restoration makes me think of the scenario in John 8. I wonder if the young man was hauled up too? Again, I see this as being very different from a voluntary public confession.