Blog Entry 5- Schalet Response

"...No country forms a more stark contrast for comparison with the United States than does the Netherlands: Dutch teenagers are far less likely to either become pregnant or contract an STD than aretheir American peers. [4,5] American teenage girls are 3 times as likely to have an abortion,

and 8 times as likely to give birth, as are their Dutch counterparts. Moreover, the sexual maturation of teenagers does not inspire the same fears among parents, providers, and policy-makers in the Netherlands as it does in the United States. Public policies do admonish young people to understand the responsibilities that come with having relationships and sex -- most notably, the responsibility to use contraception effectively..." (Schalet, 2004, p. 3).

             I found this entire article to be very interesting, and chose this quote because it seemed to provide a good overview of what Schalet discusses throughout the piece. As a young woman coming of age just in the time period that Schalet has made the focus of her research, it was interesting to see a bit more of an outside and fairly objective summation of the current views on teenage sexuality. I was particularly intrigued by the discussion that the sexual maturation of teenagers in the Netherlands does not cause the same epidemic fear that is so prominent in the Americas. When I as a freshman in high school, my mom made me sit and watch an Oprah special with her. For two hours, Oprah and a variety of other experts discussed the dangers of a sexual relationship with two fourteen year-olds, Pierce and Courtney. My mother didn't say one word the entire time; except to tell me that I couldn't go hang out with my friends until the show was over.  I had to sit and watch the entire thing. It seemed to drag on for far longer than two hours. At the time I was just uncomfortable in the silence, now I can understand that perhaps she was afraid that she would say the wrong thing, or afraid to acknowledge the fact that I was growing older.  It was clear that she wanted some message to get across to me, but more conversation, rather than silent staring at a television screen may have been more productive. In fact, any conversation to date would be better for me than the current policy in my household that we just don't talk about sex. Perhaps that policy exists in my house because my grandparents never made sex a discussion at home either, but I still wish that it was different. Making sex a safe topic to discuss in my own home is something I can do for my children when I become a parent. 

        The article, along with the reflection it caused me to have, also made me wonder when we all shift from the teenagers that are capable of love and deep emotional connections, into the adults that think that teenagers can't get involved in deep and meaningful relationships; into the adults that undermine a teenagers feelings as frivolous and fleeting. My current boyfriend and I had a discussion about this topic recently. When talking about his younger sister who is just starting to show an interest in boys, I said that she really seemed to like one young man who we had seen a lot of. He offhandedly said that she was too young to really like somebody anyway. We sat for a minute, and he reminded himself, out loud, how he had loved a  girl at fourteen. Or had thought so. Even if that love was different from a love he could feel when he was older, it was love, and love that should be valued, nonetheless. I wanted to disagree at first, but then I realized that perhaps I shouldn't, particularly because I am sure there are older individuals who shake off the importance of my own relationship.
        We all think that teenagers are capable of loving their parents, of loving their aunts and uncles, grandmothers and grandfathers, of loving their friends; why not of loving a romantic partner? If believing in that love, and fostering it to the best of our ability, despite some discomfort, as many Dutch parents have, has the power to eliminate the need for many abortions that American teen have every year;  isn't it worth valuing? If a belief and support in that teenage love potentially has the power to dramatically cut the rates of STD infection in our country, is it not something that should at least be considered? I am not suggesting that all parents should open up the bedrooms of their sons and daughters for a free for all, but there should be at least some consideration given to what the positive impacts may be of fostering healthy and successful teen relationships. American parents may find that as they support their teenagers, while still admonishing them to do the right things (as Schalet mentions the Dutch do), they will find better outcomes for their children. I know that healthier children and healthier families is something that all families, Dutch or American strive to have.

Schalet, Amy. "Must We Fear Adolescent Sexuality?" Medscape General Medicine 6(4), 2004.