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I love kettlebells! Windmills are my favourite and they always leave my abs and obliques feeling well-worked!

I think schools can only go so far with sex education. I definitely support it but I think parental education is just as important. For example, studies show that girls who have good relationships with their fathers are less promiscuous.

Schools can and should provide the facts but parents have to instill a moral backdrop for them to be effective.

I remember seeing news stories about the Pregnancy Project and being amazed by her and her boyfriend. I would completely have been the girl to fake a pregnancy in high school, but I doubt I would have had the emotional strength to endure keeping that secret for all 9 months and facing the repercussions of it. I’m thinking specifically of the college recruiting fairs I went to with friends and how the admissions teams might not have taken me seriously as a potential student. I think my friends would have been caring and excited/happy for me if I was excited but I know their parents reactions/ potential judgment would have been really hard for me to handle.

I experienced gender harrassment at work- I was told by my supervisor not to get pregnant. A few times. I did go to HR about the situation and he was fired, though I’m sure given a lovely severance. He also did this two at least one other coworker. We went forward together and I think that really helped us deal with the situation. It was never publicly acknowledged at work.

I love this post and the articles attached. I was a victim of sexual harassment in the workplace and that article really struck close to home. I could relate to the author on more than one level. It wasn’t until after a year+ of compartmentalizing and wrongfully justifying the issue at hand that I finally reached my breaking point and went to HR. I quit my job on the spot and handed over a binder full of the reasons why (TONS of emails, letters, etc. from my boss at the time). I was lucky enough that within two weeks, he was no longer in his position and they were asking me to come back with the company into my old role. It was hard to come back and face the stares and gossip since no one else really knew what went on but here I am 3 years later with the company, still succeeding and way happier than I ever thought I could again!

Yes to kettle bell. I try not to nag. I never would have faked a pregnancy in high school.. I played sports year round so I wouldn’t let it affect that. I’m not a beer drinker. Teenagers definitely need more sex Ed!

I guess I’m part of the problem and not the solution if I say, well if he’d just do what I ask, I wouldn’t have to nag!!!!

I’m so going to read that book on The Pregnancy Project! I’m really interested in hearing how it really feels to be a teen mom from the looks, the talk, etc. Thank you for sharing!

Teen pregnancy is a really interesting subject to me. I am now 22 and of the girls I went to school with a large proportion had babies as teenagers. The first when we were all 12, and then loads of them when we were aged 16 and 17. By the time I hit 20 over half of the girls I was at school with had babies or were pregnant.

In the UK we had pretty good sex ed (though too late for the 12 year old), and very good access to contraception: all contraception is available free and confidentially (at any age) from your GP or from a family planning clinic. Here teens have become used to accessing these services and will often go with their friends.

I would like to see more and better sex and relationships education though. I would like to see similar to what happens in some Scandinavian countries (Holland and Sweden have good models), whereby basic ‘sex ed’ (more anatomy really) is taught from 4 years old. In those places children learn about love and relationships from the same age. Gradually it is all brought together in an age appropriate way, so that children are equipped with the information they need well before physiological urges and peer pressures kick in. They have a much more open and mature approach which yields results later on.

The UK also has issues with rising STD rates – 1 in 10 16-24 year olds have chlamydia here. However, this is not the same everywhere: there are hot spots of up to to 60% infection rates. Pretty chilling. Our teen pregnancy rate is behind America, but is the highest in Western Europe.

I think in relation to teen pregnancy there are two key issues aside from the basic sex ed. The first is empowerment of girls. The kind of work you do helps with this: its about giving girls and young women the confidence in themselves and their bodies to take their own decisions and then enforce them. Including by saying no sex or no to sex without a condom. Lots of girls are used to being told what to do by various people in their lives: the boyfriend is just the next in a line. We need to fix this so that women can be confident in being the woman they want to be, not the kind of woman society or people in their lives tell them to be.

The second is of aspiration. It has been said in the mainstream here that aspiration is the best form of contraception, and in many situations I think I agree. It is often in areas of poor education and little opportunity that girls choose motherhood young. In my peer group it was certainly the case that no matter how sexually active, those of us who had plans for further study, careers, travel etc ensured babies didn’t happen. The girls who didn’t have these plans either actively sought pregnancy, or invited it by not using contraception. I think often teen pregnancy is just one symptom of wider social problems.

Also, though I think we all accept that children raising children is not something to be encouraged, I do think there is sometimes too much stigma attached. Many of the girls I know who got pregnant young have done fantastic jobs. Where they lacked drive before their babies have been the making of them: they have been determined to provide the very best for their kids. Many have returned to education and even university (when they had never considered this before) in their quest to provide more and better for their kids. When it happens society should be supportive of these mothers.

I just recently started kettlebell workouts. Mostly because my bootcamp instructor got us going on them. Then I bought my dad a set for Hanukah and he is addicted now!

I just have to compliment you on how professional your posts are each and every time. With all these articles out about being professional in blogging and not acting like it’s your myspace account…I’ve felt that your blog and a few others exemplify professionalism. Anyways, just thought I’d let you know 🙂

I love your blog and read it nearly every day – love the healthy living practical tips and constant reminder to treat ourselves well!

I do however, have to respectfully disagree with your opinion that more sex education is required in the school system.

As a homeowner that pays property taxes in four different school districts and has not a single child in the public school system (and never will), I do not my hard earned money being spent to teach other people’s children about sex and protection when I strongly feel that it is a parent’s responsibility to do so.