I know that some people celebrate Christmas without having any religious meaning to it…but honestly, why?  They could just as easily have get-togethers with friends and family without having to go through the motions of celebrating Christmas, right?   For me, my friends and most of my family; we choose to go deep into the meaning of Christmas.

I understand the biblical story can seem fantastical to an unbeliever.  A virgin girl gives birth to the son of God so that he can live among his people teaching them of the ways of God and to eventually sacrifice his life so that those who believe in him can live for eternity in Heaven with God the Father.   It is an amazing way to impact people.  It is extraordinary!  How else should the son of God be viewed except as an extraordinary person?

Put yourself into the position of young Mary the mother of baby Jesus.  She herself was a young girl who had known no man physically.  When the angel of the Lord came to her and told her of this miraculous plan; Mary had to have been shocked and fearful.  After all, even today being a young pregnant woman who is unmarried is no easy task.  Imagine even more so in the time in which Mary lived when a young woman could be not only socially destroyed by a pregnancy while unmarried…she could also be stoned to death for her sin.  This was the way of the world during the time that Mary lived.

Can you imagine her thoughts?  Not only that, but she was betrothed to Joseph.  Would he still accept her as his wife to be once it became noticeable that she was pregnant?  Did she tremble with the knowledge that the angel shared with her?  What about her family would they still love her, stand by her… or would they think her a liar and condemn her to the punishment that was sure to come her way?

God in his wisdom prepared Joseph by letting him know that his was his plan for Joseph and Mary.  He told Joseph that the child Mary carried was the Messiah that had been foretold of in scripture.  He told Joseph what to do when the time was right.  Joseph had to have struggled with his own thoughts of doubt, insecurities and fear.  Was he good enough, strong enough and faithful enough to support Mary in public and raise the child of God?  After all, he was about to become an adoptive father, a step father in effect.  How intimidating is all of that?  What about all that whispering of rumors that would happen when people would believe that he and Mary had just had sex and got caught…so maybe, just maybe, they came up with this fantastical story to cover their tracks?

I mean really, people are still the same today as back then when it comes to talking behind peoples backs, right? Joseph could have accused her in public of cheating on him, he could have shamed her; he could have walked away or “divorced” her severing their betrothal to one another.  He could have doubted his own worthiness to fulfill the role that God had chosen him to serve by protecting Mary, being the father figure on earth and by instilling all of the values that God in Heaven wanted his son Jesus to have while he grew into the man that God wanted him to be.

Courage is what it took for Joseph and Mary to accept God’s plan for their lives and for the life of baby Jesus who WOULD grow into the man who would die to save the world from their sins; if only they would believe.  Obedience is what was required.  Faith is what it took to make it happen.

The human side of the story is one in which I suspect most of us can most relate to.  The fears, the doubt, the questions… the awe when God’s plan was fulfilled.  As they planned and prepared for the birth of Jesus…imagine their surprise when he was born in a lowly stable (barn).  He was to be the King of Kings, the Lord of Lords…the son of God.  How could it be that he was to come into the world in such a common way?  There was no room at the inn as Joseph and Mary traveled…the stable was the best that Joseph could come up with at the moment of the onset of Mary’s labor.

Once the baby was born and God sent worshipers to him from around the world…don’t ya think that all were amazed?  I can only imagine it.  I mean…any other mother looks to prepare her nest.  Get things clean, prepared and just so.  I am sure that Mary was no different.  She was getting ready to welcome the baby who would be called Jesus.   Those who came to see the child were welcoming the baby.  The animals in the stable were privileged to see and greet the son of God.  The chosen human parents were welcoming the baby gratefully the he arrived safely.  There was joy.  There was celebration.

Today we should be no less filled with joy or celebration.  Yes it happened a long time ago.  But, just knowing that it happened and how it affects us all; we should still be welcoming the baby in our lives.  It should not just be at Christmas time either.  Jesus is a gift to us all; from God, so that we can have eternal life and not spend eternity in hell because of our sins.  If we believe in Jesus as the son of God, claim him as our own, live our lives under the guidelines and rules in the Bible… do our best to serve God in all that we do, say, think and feel; then, we will truly be welcoming the baby Jesus in the way that God intended.

How does that translate into a world that barely acknowledges God let alone his son?  We must do our best to include him daily.  Be the person that God has created you to  be.  Live your best life by doing what is right, striving to be holy, praying,  reading the Bible…affecting the people around you in a positive way.

This Christmas, how do you intend to celebrate the birth of Christ?  Do you include honoring as the main goal of your holiday celebrations?  Do you have traditions that show why you give gifts, prepare a feast of food, invite visitors and have a party in general?  Tell us about your Christmas celebrations…we’d love to hear from you.

         There is great debate about whether this policy should or should not be in place.  The Provincetown school district superintendent, Beth Singer appears to be puzzled by the controversy; even though the policy has no age limitation.    This goes above and beyond regular sex ed where parents can opt out of certain aspects of a sex ed program because of their beliefs or their own choice in how they want to explain the facts of life to their children; but, this policy removes that option by eliminating a parent’s consent or awareness.

        The author of the policy believes that all students should be educated about the use of condoms regarding disease and pregnancy prevention along with other issues relating to sexual education.  News reports say that she believes the controversy is surprising, but good as it gets people discussing the issue.  She has said that the policy was not created with the intention of giving condoms to children in elementary school.   It will probably now be geared for middle school and up, if I understand this correctly.  However, I think that is wrong because even though it does happen, kids should NOT be having sex.  If they are having sex then it is up to the parents and that child/teen to discuss how things should be handled; it should be a private family matter.

      It seems that, the school committee that approved the policy will re-examine the way that the policy is written because opposition to the policy has arisen over the availability of condoms to grade school children without having to notify the  parents, of said students.   Golly, I wonder why the parents are so upset…I mean…it is not like the school is trying to take over the role of the parents or anything, right?  >by the way, that is SARCASM if you are not getting that without hearing the “tone” of my voice.

       My feeling is that anytime a school or agency tries to usurp the authority of a parent over their children… it is wrong.  By creating a situation where kids can skip going to their parents for something as important as birth control or a device meant to protect them while having sexual relations with another person (whether it be another minor or not) is a serious problem. 

         First of all, minors having sex is not ok.  It happens yes; yes it does.  However, our society is sending kids mixed messages about whether that is appropriate.  Everything they hear and see in the media is sexually charged.  Yet, legally (and morally) sexually activity with another minor is wrong.  It can get them brought up on charges.  A minor having sexual relations with an adult is illegal, and damaging emotionally, physically and spiritually.  

        Any sexual activity can expose them to sexually transmitted diseases.  It can damage them emotionally and socially at a time when they are just discovering who they are as an individual.  It can put them in a situation where they have to choose how to handle the consequences of a pregnancy; ie: raising the child, adoption, abortion and the after-effects of any of those choices.  A minor is not typically in a position to handle the life long implications of such choices; often their choices are made while in crisis.  They often do not have the finances, the education, the housing or the emotional maturity to handle the consequences of sexual behavior.   Sometimes decisions such as having an abortion, or making an adoption plan, can actually harm them permanently forcing them to seek professional help in the future.  

         No one knows your child like you the parent does.  You understand their emotional make up.  You know what they have gone through personally.  You the parent know their friends and their boyfriends/girlfriends.  It is you the parent who is/was their first teacher in life…they have learned a great deal from you from birth on.  This area of teaching is the parent’s responsibility.  It can be uncomfortable yes…but understand this…no agency or school is going to have your particular set of values on this subject.  They might get taught the mechanics of how sex happens and how to prevent pregnancy…but, they won’t get the personal/moral/religious viewpoint that you the parent has from some other authority in the exact same way as you, yourself would have your kids understand it.

         I understand that not all parents are created equally…some parents will shirk their responsibility or worse, they may care less what their kids are doing; let alone deal with any consequences.  There are abusive family situations as well…that IS when an agency is appropriate to step in and take over the parenting duties…when an adult parent is unfit.  In that situation, a school counselor, a trusted adult or even a member of clergy can be confided in to meet the needs of a kid who is in need of counseling regarding sexual behavior.  But, it is not fair to the parents who do take their leadership position as heads of their households away by superceding their parental authority.

          The fallout of damage to personal relationships due to the alienation of parental authority is real and can hurt your relationship with your child forever. 

          The mere fact of keeping the parents out of the decision making loop, in an area of life that has the potential of affecting their child for the rest of their life which allows them to keep those kind of secrets is unhealthy and just plain wrong. 

          I would hope that this policy helps people realize and respect how important these decisions are and allows them to be decided between parents, their children, and their own family’s medical/spiritual consultants.

      Many people don’t realize the extent of the problem of homeless youth.  They are at risk for drugs & alcohol addictions, prostitution, violence, human trafficking, HIV, suicide, teen pregnancy, abuse, abortion, early death, mental & physical health problems, and crime & imprisionment.  It doesn’t have to be this way.

       Tellman started out with this challenge in Battery Park in New York in September of 2009; he plans to end the journey within 99 days in California at the Santa Monica Pier.   He has been documenting his journey as he goes.  He started in September as I said, and the route has changed some; which is good considering that winter has fallen in many parts of the northern & eastern states.  He is meeting great people along the way.

         Tellman Knudson believes that the homeless youth are great problem solvers and are good at surviving.  He wants to harness those skills and teach them to reduce their risk- related behaviors; and, to get themselves out of whatever kind of dangerous situations that they are living in.  After he has accomplished that, he hopes to be able to teach them business and life skills using their unique problem solving abilities.  That $100 million dollars will be put to good use.  Tellman knows that this is a group of individuals worth saving…he was once a troubled youth himself who faced many challenges including a debilitating leg condition which hindered his ability to even walk well.   http://runtellmanrun.com/press-and-sponsors/who-is-tellman/

        He has suffered a severely brused, painful heel condition which required him to recently reduce his running schedule.  He has been advised by a doctor to only run 3 miles a day and to only run 5 days a week instead of the 7 that he was running.  This will of course add time to his original plan of running this journey in 99 days time.  No matter, he is following doctors orders and doing as he is told so that he can still achieve his goal.  In the meantime….

       Tellman Knudson is in Atlanta, today, trying to raise funds in the internet community at the Sheraton Hotel where a seminar is being held with many of his friends and supporters.  He asks that we wish him luck; but, I say…even more than that…send him money!  If you go to his page you can donate online, what do you say…are the youth of today worth investing in?  http://runtellmanrun.com/   This isn’t just a holiday charity drive…this is Tellman’s purpose and passion…won’t you help?

          There is a war going on in the United States, a Fight For Preemies.  Premature births are reaching a level called a health crisis.   Almost 13 million premature infants are born a year; 1/13 of them, or 1 million of them do not survive.   Out of the 12 million that do survive…many have serious health issues to deal with or overcome.   This situation is tragic; and the March of Dimes is doing something about it.   They are asking bloggers to get involved and create an awareness of the issue on November 17th, 2009.    Since November is Prematurity Awareness Month…I plan to do my part.   Can you please help to support the March of Dimes:  http://www.marchofdimes.com/.  Bloggers let your voice be heard on November 17th; readers please give to the March of Dimes.  To hear a great video click here: http://bit.ly/2MAQnl .  Thanks for listening!

         There is an organization that helps children and their families…it is called, Save the Children.  There are celebrities who have supported their mission like Jennifer Gardner, Gwyneth Paltrow, Hugh Laurie, Julianne Moore, Helen Hunt, Miley Cyrus, Matthew Perry, Paula Abdul, Ann Curry, Ben Affleck, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Five for Fighting lead singer John Ondrasik, Joely Fisher among many others.  They give of their time, their name recognition, finances and so forth.  However, there are so many others who could contribute as well, if only they knew about what is needed.

           You can find out more about their mission, the work that they do and the people that they help here: http://www.savethechildren.org/.  You say, “I am only one person…what can I do?”  But, the fact is…if everyone took the responsibility to leave the world a better place than when they entered it…they would find a way to give back to society.  There is no better place to start where you will have more impact than than to start by helping  a child.  By channeling your resources, your education, your skills, your talents, your opportunities…you can have a far reaching impact on the world…because starting to improve the life of a child who is caught in the web of poverty and need will have a viral effect.  In their lifetime, they will have the opportunity to reach out and touch the lives of many others; in effect, paying it forward…due to the help that they received, early in life. 

         Have you been blessed in life?  Do you have adequate amounts of food and appropriate clothing for the area in which you live?  Do you have access to quality education and proper medical care?  Is your home environment safe and healthy?  Do you have regular income that is enough to pay for all of the necessities in life?  It is important to know that many children and their families around the world (in every country) do not have those things.   You don’t need to feel guilty about your blessings…but maybe you were given them purely for the purpose of using them to help others who are less fortunate.  Please help save the world…one child at a time.  You can really make a difference…go here and see what you can do with what you have been blessed with…   http://www.savethechildren.org/ .

         Leaving such a momentuous decison to a minor without allowing some parental input is not right, in my opinion.  First of all, I don’t believe that all 17 year olds are created equal.  I think maturity and decision making skills are not across the board equal; everyone matures at a different rate.  Deciding to become a parent, or to end a pregnancy should definately be taken seriously.   Some people say that it is too hard for a teen to talk to their parent.  In that case, if they are too immature or intimated to talk to their parents…they should not be having sex; they are not mature enough to handle the consequences.    I wonder how many teens have ended pregnancies; only to find out years later, that they would have had support from their parents or guardians; if they had spoken of their pregnancy?  The physical and emotional repercussions of ending a pregnancy are deeply felt.  When a teen is facing an unplanned pregnancy, fear and anxiety take over.  That is not the best time to be making a rational decision alone, without talking to a parent or guardian…let alone getting proper medical advice from a trusted doctor or pregnancy counselor. 

           The thing is…Plan B might terminate a possible pregnancy…but, it will have absolutely have no effect on contracting an STD.   A young woman who has unprotected sex with someone is at risk for many diseases, infections, or illnesses.  If there are no obvious consequences from having unprotected sex…then, you must consider this question: what will it take to prevent this kind of behavior in the future.   They need to be informed of the additional risks that they are taking by having unprotected sex.  Plan B should not be considered as an alternative route to pregnancy…it should be explained, in full, by adults who know the minor and understand all of the complexities of the situation, as it will affect that minor.

        This is a very controversial pill, not only because of people’s personal beliefs on exactly when conception occurs…but, those who are not in agreement with plan B are  also objecting  to the availability of it for minors.    Plan B is being readily available to young women who are 17 years of age, without the knowledge and consent of their parents/guardians; and, to being able to get it without seeing a doctor.  Plan B is a man-made hormonal drug which prevents a pregnancy from taking place or, from continuing if conception has already taken place. 

           Minors need a perscription to get regular birth control pills …but, a judge has allegedly decided that this Plan B is going to become available to 17 year old women ( and older) without having to see a doctor to get it.  It also allegedly has the stamp of approval from the FDA in regards to it’s safe use.   However, parents are being left out of a major decision making moment in their daughter’s life…one that the daughters could end up regretting.  We all know and understand that hormones play an important part in how a person’s body functions; as well as, how hormones affect cancer and the like.  Putting a synthetic hormone into a young woman’s body without discussing all aspects of it’s effect upon their body, both immediate use and long-term, with a medical professional or a parent doesn’t feel right to me;  not to mention the emotional impact of terminating a possible pregnancy without talking it through with the young woman’s parents.  This is a decision that should only be made with full, accurate information. 

          These decisions can have a long- term, life changing effects.  Plan B’s  use should not be left up to minors who can’t even make less important and binding decisions without the precise knowledge and consent of their parent or guardian.  This ruling by the courts effectively takes away any parental authority that parents would typically have in this situation.  Yet, the after affects will influence their family for years to come.  What do you think of Plan B and the way that it will be allowed to be accessed by minors?

          In some interviews, Levi says that the Palin’s have allegedly treated him like a son.  He says he can visit there but not take his son out for visits.  Levi says that this is uncomfortable for him.  He has had his own struggles with both education and employment issues.   His mother was arrested for alledged drug use.   Now he has gone on television and talked about his former sex life with Bristol Palin…as well as expressed an interest in modeling.   In these latest interviews, he has said that he doesn’t want to, but he may have to go to court to fight for custody of his child. 

         I don’t know about you…but, I would think that a judge would have trouble with letting such a young child visit away from it’s mother not knowing if the paternal grandmother (who was allegedly involved w/drugs) would have access to the infant.  Levi does not do himself any favors by coming across as a detached father.  Saying things like, “do the father thing”.  What does that mean exactly?  Does he know what kinds of things that a father has to do for their child, to take on a role of responsibility? 

         The things that a court would examine would be the ability to, appropriately and safely, parent a child.  This is usually done in a home study…taking stock of education levels, income levels, length of employment, living conditions, any areas of concern regarding the safety of the child, legal concerns, patterns of dangerous or irresponsible behavior…etc.  I dont believe that custody would be removed from the mothers care unless she was proven to be unfit…now a judge might assign more parenting time/visitation for Levi…but, it is highly doubtful that a judge would take custody away from a parent who has been the main caregiver since birth and who is supporting the child and meeting their parental obligations; as opposed to, Levi’s statement that he has everything that his son needs at his home.  What about contributing to the financial support of his son, or medical coverage, day care money to provide appropriate care while the baby’s mother works or goes to school?  Levi only appears to want time with his son unsupervised; he should try handling things out of the public eye…he might just get farther.

         I think that Levi Johnston needs to remember that his son will grow up one day and read and view these interviews.  He needs to remember that his child will not remain an infant.  He should show his love for his child by getting his diploma, a job, and continue to visit his son on a regular basis.  He is connected to the Palin family for life because his son lives and breathes…and it is time that they all work out some kind of a comfortable and civil relationship.  If they treat each other with some mutual respect they will form an environment of a strong and healthy family relationship with one another (even if they are no longer together as a couple), in which Tripp can grow and thrive.

        Whenever you speak to expentant parents and ask if they want a boy or a girl…more often than not, the answer that you get is that they dont care…all they want is a healthy baby!  Education is key, especially with young expectant mothers such as teen pregnancies.  Nutrition, regular OB check-ups and supportive agency involvements will help to ensure that expecting families can prepare for a safe and healthy delivery of their babies.

        Some people either can’t walk or dont wish to walk but are willing to sponsor someone else to do the walking.  I say, it doesn’t matter if you cant physically get out there to do the walking…it is all about supporting the March of Dimes and their goal to help babies be born healthy.  Look for a local event in your community that you can either put on your walking shoes or find someone to sponsor with your donations.    Can you help prevent birth defects?  Yes you can:   http://www.marchforbabies.org/   Gather your friends and relatives and organize some support for the work that the March of Dimes is doing to encourage healthy pregnancies and deliveries of healthy babies!

     Now, if you were a person who was thinking of a stand up guy as someone you knew, trusted, depended on and respected as honorable…imagine that person going on television and slamming your family, criticizing your co-parenting when it comes to sharing time and experiences with your child, and talking about your previous  relationship and sex life on national television.  

         I am trying to imagine how Bristol Palin felt when that happened to her twice, in the last week.  Her ex-fiancee and the father of her infant son, Levi Johnston, went on television twice in the last week to give interviews, about his relationship with the Palin family, along with his sister.  Part of the issues discussed were the basic fact of whether Levi lived or stayed at the Palin home around the time of the conception of his son.  He says that they are lying by saying that he didn’t “live there”….he says his stuff was there and that no matter what you want to call it…he stayed there.  He feels that Sarah Palin had to know that they were sexually active. 

        On the interview with Tyra Banks, Levi says they practiced safe sex every time…then, he changed it when Tyra humorously challenged his answer about when baby Tripp was conceived…and Levi smiled and said, most every time.  The thing is, that regardless of how it happened (none of us need to know that much information); there is a child who was born and is going to need both of his parents and grandparents for the rest of his life.  Doing these interviews and putting it into the public domain is not going to help his son in the long run, by knowing of the strains in Levi’s relationship with the Palins.  For the good of the child, they will all need to work on their relationship for his  future emotional well- being.  Children who grow up in the middle of animosity struggle with issues of loyalty and acceptance.  Parents and grandparents are exactly that for life…you dont get a redo in this area of life…so everyone needs to work on this relationship and concentrate on what is most important.

       Teenaged parenting is no joke.  It is hard and it is full of responsibility both emotional, physical, spiritual and financial.  Even though Bristol and Levi had a consensual relationship; in most areas of the country Bristol was under  what is considered the legal age of consent in many parts of the country, the age of 18.  Both young men and young women have had legal repercussions for statuatory rape when they entered into a sexual relationship with someone under the age of 18. 

       On the news the other day, an article stated that new records are being set by children being born out of wedlock.  That being the case, there are many children who are being born into the same kind of circumstances that Levi and Bristol’s son Tripp was born into…parents who are not married and don’t live together.   Eventually, one or both of the parents in those relationships move on and become involved with another romantic relationship…bringing other “parental” people into the child’s life.  This can be complicated for future personal interaction if problems are not worked out in the beginning when parents realize that they are not going to live together as a family for life.   

       Now is as good a time as any for building a positive relationship in these families instead of a negative one.   It is important to remember that this is not a political issue…it is about the child.  The media needs to remember that this child will grow up and read one day.  He is a real person who will be affected by these words and actions.  The parents of  Tripp cared about each other at one time…let’s not allow a “good story” to get in the way of this child’s relationships with the most important people in his life.    Tripp needs his dad to be a stand up guy…someone he can look up to and be proud of as a person just as he needs to look up to his mother in the same way.  Good parenting begins with love, respect and responsibility…loving your child makes you want to give the best parts of yourself!

      The movie was fine…don’t get me wrong here…the problem was a couple of audience members.  We were seated in the back of the small theater because of the size of our group…there were 8 of us.  We were spread out because the teens didn’t want to sit with mom and dad (of course); and, the girls didn’t want to sit with the teen boys (of course), so we took up the end seats of three rows.  A group of three teens approached my  teen boys, who happened to be in the last row, in the back.   They were asked if they would mind moving down to the end the line.   They moved with no fuss.  There were two girls and a boy; no parental guidance, I might add. 

        As the movie began, so did the engines of one of those girls and the boy.   Right from the get go, it was obvious why they wanted my sons to move farther down the line and to the inside wall of the theater.  They were not interested in the movie shall we say.  They were there for one reason only…even though they had a chaperone…a female of about the same age.  What age is that, you may ask?  Well, they appeared to be all of about 12 or 13…at the most 14 years of age.   Understand what I am saying here…they were approximately two to four years older than the birthday girl and her friends.

       I could see them out of the corner of my eye.  They were building up steam and their “friend” or sister was doing her best to ignore them.  I shot them a couple of annoyed looks…which got the attention of their friend…she nudged the other girl who was deeply involved in her make out session.  It stopped for all of about three minutes.  I got up and left the theater with the intention of notifying the staff of what was going on.  I reconsidered and thought that maybe by leaving the movie theater abruptly, maybe, it possibly had the impact of a glass of cold water thrown on them.  Alas, it did not. 

        When I returned…my husband looked at me oddly.  He knew I was annoyed; but, didn’t understand why because he couldn’t see what was going on directly behind him.  This continued for another 10 minutes or so….which was sending my blood pressure up. 

      Did the ushers come in and break it up?  No, they never walked through the studio; not even once.   Let that be a lesson to you parents…you can’t count on other people to do your job for you!   The movie was exciting; and, the birthday girl and her friends kept turning around to look at me and smile, or make eye contact with me during the movie.  I was getting worried that they would see more action behind me, than on the movie screen.

       Yes, I admit the mama in me came out.   I could not sit there and let things progress when i looked back and saw the young lady lay her upper body portion over the arm rest of the seat and place it upon the young man, who was laying down in his seat.   That is the position that they both had assumed, from the time they came in to the movie.  Hands were flying everywhere and it was getting obvious that they didn’t care that they had an audience. 

         I figured that if they wanted an audience….they were going to get an audience.     I got up out of my end seat, stepped around behind it and, squatted down in between the two of them.   I used my very annoyed mother’s voice, the one of authority and said to them…”You need to knock it off.  Now sit up and BE appropriate”!  Don’t ya know that is exactly what they did?  My heart rate was zipping right along.  Probably so was theirs, but for a different reason.

         My question is…what part of PG don’t parents understand?  The movie was rated PG but, why allow such young teenagers to go to a movie unchaperoned?   It was clear to me and anyone else who saw this “couple” in action, that this clearly was not the first time that they were so “familiar” with one another; there was no shyness, no anxiety…no hesitency with one another. 

         I think that our American society sends young people the wrong message…everywhere they look, movies, television, magazines…they are bombared with sexual/sensual messages and obviously, teens of this age should not be sexual with one another.   Physically their bodies are going through the hormonal changes and awareness of the opposite sex; but, emotionally and responsibility-wise, they are not ready for an intimate relationship of this nature; nor are they prepared for the consequences of such actions.

          If the parents of those teens sent the other female, of the same age, to chaperone…they were un-wise.  If they thought their kids were somewhere other than the movie theater…they may want to do some follow up in the future. 

          I suspect that these are not the only teens who think they know what they are doing.  I say, enough of the “cool parent syndrome” stop letting your teens and pre-teens have so much freedom.  Go and do things together as a family.  Take your job seriously, or that PG movie you allowed them to attend without your parental guidance could turn into another kind of PG…one called pregnancy.   What boundaries do you have in place for your teens to “date”?