I read a really disturbing article the other day. The link is HERE, but allow me to post a little excerpt:

By Jason Szep

BOSTON (Reuters) - A Massachusetts city is investigating an apparent teenage "pregnancy pact" that has at least 17 high-school girls expecting babies, four times more than last year, including many aged 16 or younger.

A high school health clinic in the city of Gloucester became suspicious after seeing a surge in girls seeking pregnancy tests. Local officials said on Thursday nearly half of those who became pregnant appear to have entered into a pact to have their babies together over the year.

"Some girls seemed more upset when they weren't pregnant than when they were," Gloucester High School principal Joseph Sullivan told Time magazine, which broke news of the pact on its Web site.

Sullivan was not immediately available to comment. But local officials said at least some of the men involved in the pregnancies were in their mid-20s, including one man who appeared to be homeless. Others were boys in the school.

Does that just make you shake your head or what? It's just unbelievable. A lot of things ran through my head when I read that, but the first thought was (unfortunately), "I'm not surprised."

Why? Because look at (most) parents nowadays. I'm not giving any opinions here -- this is all fact from observations. When I walk though a mall, I often see a mom and daughter together shopping. The daughter is usually always wearing clothes that are way too skimpy for her age. (Did you see the prom dresses they were buying, too?) The girl is usually on her cell phone and has tons of bags of "stuff." The last two times that I was at the mall, I saw this very same situation twice (meaning I saw a mom and daughter together), and both times the girls were carrying large Victoria's Secret bags. Another time a few months ago, I saw a girl (again with her mom) and she was about 12-13 years old. This girl bent over, and I saw that she was wearing a thong.

Those are just the things I see casually with strangers. It absolutely just shocks me and saddens me. Now there are probably a handful of people reading this that will protest and make excuses and say, "Well, that's the style these days. And maybe the girls were buying a robe or lip gloss at Victoria's Secret!" Yeah... okay. Whatever happened to Kohl's or Target??? One time I commented about a woman (a mother, with two kids that were around 8-10 years old) who bent down in church and was wearing a thong. When I said something in blog comment, a couple of gals came back and said, "Hey, thongs are so that you don't get any pantylines!" Okay, that might be the case with trousers or pants... but jeans? Yeah. Panty lines don't show up through jeans. And I've worn enough thongs in my day to know that low-cut jeans + thong = lots of exposed rear-end. And if a woman decides to wear that combo to church or if a tween wears that combo while out shopping with her mom, it's one of two things: 1) She wants attention or 2) It makes her feel sexy. Either one of those scenarios is just wrong. Sexy in church??? What kind of message is that woman sending to her kids? (Not to mention all the men whose heads probably turned to look.) A twelve year old wanting to feel sexy??? At that age, I was embarrassed to even be in the lingerie section of Sears with my mother. Kids have absolutely no shame these days. And parents feel that it's better to be "friends" with their kids than be a parent. Don't get me wrong -- I know several moms who are really great friends with their daughters. Yet they also set good examples, teach them right from wrong, and teach good moral values. On the other hand, there are a lot of moms out there who don't teach things.

And I don't mean to just point out the mothers/daughters here, either. What do the dads think about their tween daughters wearing thongs? Why aren't the parents teaching their sons that helping teen girls make their "cute little babies" will impact them the rest of their lives?

Here's another example of the moral decay in our world. You can read the article HERE, but allow me to post a snippet:

OTTAWA (AFP) - A Canadian court has lifted a 12-year-old girl's grounding, overturning her father's punishment for disobeying his orders to stay off the Internet, his lawyer said Wednesday.

The girl had taken her father to Quebec Superior Court after he refused to allow her to go on a school trip for chatting on websites he tried to block, and then posting "inappropriate" pictures of herself online using a friend's computer.

The father's lawyer Kim Beaudoin said the disciplinary measures were for the girl's "own protection" and is appealing the ruling.

"She's a child," Beaudoin told AFP. "At her age, children test their limits and it's up to their parents to set boundaries."

"I started an appeal of the decision today to reestablish parental authority, and to ensure that this case doesn't set a precedent," she said. Otherwise, said Beaudoin, "parents are going to be walking on egg shells from now on."

"I think most children respect their parents and would never go so far as to take them to court, but it's clear that some would and we have to ask ourselves how far this will go."

According to court documents, the girl's Internet transgression was just the latest in a string of broken house rules. Even so, Justice Suzanne Tessier found her punishment too severe.

Beaudoin noted the girl used a court-appointed lawyer in her parents' 10-year custody dispute to launch her landmark case against dear old dad.

Can you believe that? It's like the father who got arrested because his kid got a sunburn... or those parents in Japan who all insisted their daughter should be the lead in their Snow White play by threatening to sue the school. So how did the school react? They agreed to have 21 Snow Whites in their play. The government steps in to arrest and accuse parents of the stupid things, like when parents spank their kids for punishment. Yet when parents stand up and threaten to sue because their daughter didn't get the lead in a school play, the government steps back, puts up their hands and says, "Hey... they have a right. You've got to respect their wishes." What kind of crap is that? How in the heck did those lines get crossed? What kind of lesson does that teach?

Moral decay is everywhere, and it's bad. And this post is only referring to the "parental" aspect of this problem -- I'm not even talking about TV commercials and shows... or stuff taught in schools... or the selfishness of the "Me Generation." I'm strictly talking about how kids nowadays simply have no sense of right and wrong. And the blame is a combination of 1) The government stepping in to tell people how to raise their children, enforcing laws and rules on things that should be a completely private matter (i.e. to "protect" the kids)... 2) Parents being so selfish and righteous that they think their way should be the only way, and that the whole world should cater to them and c) Parents not really forcing children and teens to stay away from sex, alcohol, parties, movies, TV, clothing and other things that they are too young to handle.

I know that there are laws in place for child abuse and molestation -- those have to be there. I came from a childhood of abuse, so I know that it's essential to have that protection in place. But I'm sickened that a father can be taken to court for grounding his daughter. What a waste of our tax dollars! And what a message they are sending! Kids, if you don't agree with your parents, sue them! Find someone who will side with you and help you fight! I can't believe a man can get arrested because his child got a sunburn, yet these parents of the girls in Gloucester aren't even mentioned at all -- don't they have any responsibility in this??? Sunburns heal in a few days (granted, that specific case was pretty bad, but I betcha it'll set a precedent for future "sunburns"). Babies are 20+ years of responsibility. The whole thing just blows my mind. It's the same thing with the parents who get in trouble for spanking incidents. Parents are whisked off to jail and their kids sent off to protective services without a thorough investigation as to the parenting skills, situation or background. To me, taking your 12 year-old daughter shopping at Victoria's Secret or letting your 13-year old son have full access to the internet should have the same punishment that the government inflicts on parents who spank.

I bet there are girls around the country who think that what those Gloucester girls did was "cool." Who think that Jamie Lynn Spears is "lucky" to have a new baby girl. These are probably the same girls who have $1,000 Sweet Sixteen parties... and who were probably given everything they've ever asked for in life... who have little "baby" dogs that they carry around ala Paris Hilton and friends... and grew up with every gadget, toy, Lucky brand jeans, Coach purses and salon-highlighted haircut that they have ever asked for. Oh, and Victoria's Secret underwear.

All I am saying is this: Parents need to teach their children to be moral. To be modest. To respect their bodies and think of the needs of others (like those new babies about to be born). Life is not about having everything and living it up to the fullest. It's not about getting everything you want, and granting your (or anyone else's) every whim. Children need to be taught respect for themselves and for others. They need to be taught humility. Wisdom. Unselfishness. Restraint. Appreciation. Modesty. Inner beauty versus outer beauty. And that most of all, it's not about what you own or have.

Parents who don't teach these things to their children end up raising kids who become selfish, rude, vain, conceited, immoral, and disrespectful.

"Everything is permissible for me" — but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"—but I will not be mastered by anything. "Food for the stomach and the stomach for food" — but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body." (1 Corinthians 6:11-13)

That verse is a powerful verse in the Bible. It means that God gave you this body to live here on earth for one purpose only -- To live for the Lord. There are many things here on earth, but just because they exist... just because they are available... does not mean that they are allowed. Eventually, this body will cease to exist. And everything that you've done to it, or for it, or because of it all will be judged. If those actions are immoral or sexually loose or selfish, then the consequences will be dire. And once a teen (or adult) starts to live for their sexual prowess or for money or for attention or for every whim that they want granted -- they will have become worshipers of themselves.

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. (Ephesians 5:3)

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. (Philippians 2:3)


This is what the LORD says:
"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom
or the strong man boast of his strength
or the rich man boast of his riches,

But let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,"
declares the LORD.
(Jeremiah 9:23-24)