Charlatan

I don't think anyone here is against advocating constraint of teenage sexuality per se. I think most here would agree that education and communication are much better tools than a "purity ceremony".

I can even agree that these people, as misguided as I believe them to be in their execution, think they are doing the right thing by their daughters.

To strip it down to its essence this is abstinence vs. education. In my mind, abstinence is an unreasonable goal when you are dealing with teenagers. Education and communication are the key (depending on your point of view that educational component can also include a big dose of, "having sex before age 'X' is a bad idea).

Two more points:

1) The key, as always, is balance. Too much control of kids is just as bad as too little. Both ways lead to rebelliousness.
2) The subtext of my belief in education and communication is involvement and interaction with my kids. It may be suggested that one needs to home school and spend every waking minute with your kids, but I would argue there is more than one way to raise a kid.

__________________
"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
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