In this very on-target post on the issue of "teen sex" (is that something like "blonde sex" or "Tennessee sex") InstaPundit's Glenn Reynolds points out that our modern cultural vilification of sexually mature teenagers and their predictable behavior ignores most of what we know about human physiology and our own history.

The problem with teenagers having sex is that they are notoriously incapable of preventing the potentially negative consequences of sexual behavior. But so are many other sub-cultures within our larger one (trust me on this. In a previous life, I worked as a social worker and did home visits with Appalachian parents who were neglecting or abusing their kids ). How come national magazines never run cover stories like this one on the problem of "Irresponsible Idiot Sex!"

Teenagers are more vulnerable to sexual expoitation by authority figures and plain old sleazy people. And the key to dealing with "teen sex" is involved parents and other responsible adults to whom young people feel personally close (as opposed to school teachers and administrators) teaching their kids to have a sex-positive attitude and the ability to make wise choices on a situation-by-situation basis. No way do I want school personnel who might be homophobes or worse imparting their spin on such an important issue on my kids. I want those discussions to take place within the context of my own family's values. My ten year old son and I already talk about sexual decision making, and when my daughter reaches ten or twelve, we'll start talking too. There are some good websites for teenagers who want to learn about sexuality and sexual ethics, like Scarleteen and Boyfriend. For mothers in their teens, I love GirlMom