Weekly Debate with the Danielles : Birth Control For Teenager Daughters?

It's that time of the week again! Time for a friendly Debate during "Friendly Debates with the Danielles". Danielle from Happenings of the Harper Household and Danielle from We Don't Have It All hold a weekly meme dedicated to providing fun and friendly debatable subjects. I always look forward to the new week's debate. Who knows what it will be.
Have a blog and want to participate? Click HERE for all of the information. You can link up with everyone and meet some other great bloggers, too. Don't have a blog? Leave a comment with your own opinions below. I love reading them!

Here's this week's topic:

Birth Control For Teenage Daughters: Yay or Nay? What do YOU say?

Who hasn't thought about this subject. Even before I had children, I have been very open about sex and sexuality even with my friends. Heck, one of my best friends wanted to become a sex therapist, so it's something we often talked about. I was a very sexually inquisitive teenager and had so many questions, but it was something my parents would NEVER talk about. To even think about it was taboo and, to my parents, a sin. How could I even consider having sex before marriage? 

Just like a typical teenager, I took matters into my own hands and began experimenting. Luckily, I was smart enough to use contraception and my best friend's mom got us birth control. Having been a teenager, I remember all too well the hormones that surge. For that reason I will always, always be upfront with my children about sex. Whenever they ask, I will tell them. 

I think my husband feels the exact same way. Being a juvenile prosecutor in our town, he's seen so many teenagers get pregnant just because they didn't have protection. We've both seen how important it is to have the sex talk and let the kids know they can come to us if they have questions. So, I would absolutely let my daughter get birth control and/or other types of contraception. I would even talk about an IUD, especially if she had periods and cramps like I did as a teenager.

With all of that said, we have boys, so unless I manage to have a little girl next time (crossing fingers!!:), we won't be talking about the pill. Rather, we'll be talking about respecting young ladies and using other types of protection.

How do you feel about having The Talk? Would you let your daughter get birth control?

Each week Danielle from Happenings of the Harper Household and Danielle from We Don't Have It All get together for a friendly debate! Their subjects are fun and sometimes controversial, which is something I enjoy! Have a blog? Feel free to link up, too, and share your own opinions. Everyone is welcome, but keep it nice. :) Click here for all the rules.

So, this week's topic is... 

Vaccinations: Yay or Nay?

I'd like to say this is something I strongly oppose. Part of me does, but the other part also recognizes the benefits. I have read the millions of articles online, all of which are confusing and sometimes misleading. It was enough to scare the heck out of me. I asked questions and my doctors all looked at me like I was crazy. I knew we needed a different pediatrician who would respect my decisions and listen to my requests, so we have a new doctor now. 

OUCH!

Josiah has had most of his vaccinations. He was a healthy boy from the get-go. I felt confident that his system could handle vaccinations and the ingredients they contain. I did, however, opt out of several, including Chicken Pox and Flu because I believe they are unnecessary. I have NEVER had a flu shot and NEVER plan on injecting my kids with something I feel is unwarranted. Now, with Liam, a preemie with health issues and Neurofibromatosis, I am much more concerned about how well his system could take vaccinations. The only vaccines he has had were given when he was born. Since then, I have opted not to update him on them. 

I have no plans to vaccinate any time soon and, since the kids will both go to a private school, they are much more lenient about what is required. They didn't mind one bit that Josiah isn't up to date before starting. No forms, no letter-writing! That's how it should be. Also, you can order vaccinations without certain ingredients, too (formaldehyde). I had Josiah's special ordered and had to pay $20 extra, but, in my opinion, it was totally worth it even if just for my peace of mind.

So, as you can tell, I'm a little torn as to how I feel about vaccinations. I can see why families do vaccinate children, but I do think it's best to be educated about them, which ones are most needed for your children, and which ones you could possibly do without. 

Do you vaccinate? What's your opinion on this subject?

Friendly Debates with the Danielles Weekly Link-Up : Circumcision: Yay or Nay?

Each Sunday evening Danielle from “We Don’t Have It All Together, But Together We Have It All” and Danielle from Happenings with the Harper Household will host this awesome meme. There will be a question each week that will require you to think about how you feel about a certain topic and to decide where you stand regarding that topic, then of course share those thoughts!

Click HERE for all of the rules and regulations!

This week's topic:

“Circumcision: Yay or Nay? What do YOU say?” 

I say NAY to circumcision! I had this done to my first son and saw what a barbaric practice this really is. It's not necessary and puts baby in so much pain. Every time they use the bathroom, they scream. Every time you give them a bath, they cry. It's hard to watch and I learned my lesson. I couldn't stand to ever see my little boys in so much pain again due to my own decisions.

When Liam was born he was not circumcised. Family members asked repeatedly when we would get the deed done and I kept telling them we weren't going to do it. Questions and more questions, but we stood with our convictions and Liam is not circumcised. At two years old, he is a happy healthy boy. We've never had any infections like they all said we would. He's never had any issues and never had to be in needless pain either. My husband didn't need much convincing of this, as he knew the facts, too... and medical evidence points to the same thing I believe- there's no evidence that circumcision is needed.

So, what do you think?