Baggy Pants And Birth Control

You are probably thinking I should change the name of my blog to "Opinionated Peggy" since I often express my opinions about what is going on around me. Bear with me. This platform helps me get it off my chest and resume my normal activities.

First, baggy pants have been the topic of heated debates in area schools. Personally, I find the "style" so tacky that I'm surprised anyone would dare be seen in public dressed like that. Having the crotch of the pants at the knees is not normal. It looks like someone had an accident. A bad, heavy accident. But regardless of the looks, a school dress code is in place and should be followed.

I'm showing my age here, but when I attended a public high school, pants for girls were not allowed. We had to be clad in dresses and skirts. No jeans, no slacks. I admit that posed other problems since the 60s' hemline was short. Still, if a dress appeared too short, the girl was asked to get on her knees and there had to be less than 6 inches of bare skin between the floor and her hemline. If not, she was sent home to change.

That might seem extreme by today's standards. But we had a dress code then, too, and it was enforced. Pants were allowed on girls about two years after I graduated. I'm sure the wearing of pants carried some dos and don'ts.

The point remains, that dress codes are in force in most places and need to be there. Restaurants won't allow just anyone inside. You've seen the signs "No shoes, no shirt, no service". I think there are exceptions if you're a woman, or so I've heard. A boundary needs to be in place or chaos will result. And if parents had like guidelines, instead of blaming the authorities, kids would arrive at school in the proper attire.

Secondly, the birth control controversy in a Maine school has really blown me away. From what I understand, parents must sign a form allowing their child to be treated at the student health center. But once that child is treated, the child can decide whether the parents are told or not. The school board voted that children in middle school - grades 6 through 8 - can be put on birth control pills if they are sexually active and don't want their parents to know.

As a parent, I don't feel the school board has a right to decide anything for my child except for their curriculum. Too many outside forces are trying to come into our homes and do our work for us. Why? Are we incapable? I believe most parents love their children and are willing to do what is best for them. For those who don't, there are school counselors to confide in and who can lead the child to others who can help.

Putting a child on birth control pills or patches should be the decision of the child's parents and doctor. How will that child react to the hormones in the pills? Will the pills interact safely with other medications the child might be taking? Does anyone have the right to keep something this personal from the parents?

I've always believed that as long as a minor child is a minor child that their activities should be known by the parents responsible for them. If that minor child breaks a law, the parents pay the attorney's fees. If the child deliberately damages property, the parents have to pull out the checkbook. Minor children are not on their own. They should not make major decisions about their lives when they still depend on their parents for a roof over their heads, clothes on their backs, and food in their bellies.

My feelings on this do not extend to the children in abusive homes. They need someone to step in and protect them. I'm talking about normal homes where love and attention abide. Let decent parents raise their children the way they feel is best. That includes religious training and deciding whether their 11-year-old daughters should be taking the pill. Let schools teach reading, writing, and math and leave the parenting to the parents.