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You are here : Parent24 : School (7-12) : Health & Safety : Condoms for kids

Condoms for kids

Do special condoms for 12-year-olds sound like a good idea?

By Marlon Abrahams

Pic: Dare

Article originally in Parent24

The headline read ‘Extra small condoms for 12 year-old boys go on sale in Switzerland.’

‘Called the Hotshot, the condom has been produced after government research showed 12 to14-year-olds did not use sufficient protection when having sex.’

Immediately I thought about my girls. Would I want them engaging in sex at the age of 12 with a pimply faced squirt armed with a pack of Hotshots? Certainly not! I’d want them to wait until they were 33 years old like I was when I had my first experience and Hannah was conceived.

But would I prefer that they rather did it with a ‘responsible’ little squirt, hell yes! I don’t know if it was easier for our parents back in the day. Maybe not, sure I guess sex was happening between 12-year-olds back then too. Yet we only found out when someone got pregnant from it.

And is it really such a big deal? Such a shock to realise that 12-year-old kids are doing it already? Well it shouldn’t be. In the days of yore it was more-or-less common practise to get married at around that age, even Royalty engaged in the practise regularly.

Clearly the emotional state of these kids wouldn’t be anywhere near necessary to fully contemplate the consequences of their actions. But, the truth is, it’s going to happen anyway, and if it does, I hope they use the little Hotshots!

The only way to help a child in this situation is to be a responsible parent. We can never police them 24/7, but we can arm them with knowledge and education. And still, we accept, there will be those who slip through the cracks. A quick visit to the abortion clinic, or to the sexually transmitted diseases section of the local clinic, or a half-way house for single mothers, would certainly make my lot think twice about the consequences of shagging before they’re emotionally ready.

I would add to that an in-depth study of the reproductive organs and how they work, and when they’re ready for action. Of course, given my own experience, I will arm my girls with all the tricks of the trade, all the little sweet nothings the little devils will use to get into their pants.

And of course I have the three titanium, digital code-lock chastity belts on order.

No, sometimes you have to sigh in acceptance that the world is moving faster and faster, and our kids are moving along with it just as fast. I commend the Swiss for coming up (no pun intended) with the Hotshot, but I really didn’t want to start my day today wondering if my girls are going to have protective sex at the age of 12! Where’s my credit card? I better pay for these damn chastity belts already!

Oh and one more thing, you guys with sons, would you advocate the use of the Hotshots for them?