Its My Body The Cry Of The Teen Gang

Over the centuries each generation goes through this phase or period of time where getting something they want is a burning desire and they could not then or now possibly wait a few years until the desire could or will be fulfilled. From a teenagers perspective, everything they do is carried out in a flame of passion and their desire for any particular thing can be vital to their ability to breath and thereby carry on living. In my day, which I hasten to add is not that long ago in the great scheme of things, ahem! the usual whine, after being denied that must have new fad, was, "why not, mom, pleeeeeese!!!??" To which the equally usual reply was "because your father and I have decided that you're not old enough". And although I sulked (not too much, I would have had a quick sharp clip alongside the ear) I am grateful that they stood their ground and were wise enough to know that I needed looking after until I was adult enough to make a better, more informed decision. NB My method of dealing with sulks was to simply remove the sulker from my presence until they got over it, which through being consistent in my approach was never more than an hour or so.

Today it is always "Its My Body", kindly taught to our children in schools! Generally this in a context that covers the rules of ownership regarding sexual abuse and or physical abuse. Personally I am not sure that this ownership has been put across in a way that covers ordinary life situations. It seems that children now believe that this ownership allows them to push adults around when they themselves are behaving badly and it also allows them to do what they like with their bodies at an age where they cannot possibly comprehend the consequences of their actions. 'Its My Body' means that they can have sex at 11, get piercings at 14 and drink and smoke, (not legally of course,but as we all know with kids where there are no consequences they will find a way). Its My Body is leading a lot of young teens up a very adult path for which they are ill prepared!

The headline bit of Grafitti gave me a laugh and seemed appropriate for our bodycentric society! Its My Body!

Girls today are getting their periods at the tender age of 11. It seems to most of us that this is pathetically young to be going through all the mood swings of a hormone rush and it is! This means any 14yr old going through these changes that feelings are at fever pitch. Everything to them is do or die! They are in a hurry to procreate mostly driven by said hormones and to give into the whole Its My Body thing is a very slippery slope. This means that we the parents or guardians have to protect them from the inevitable rash decisions that these feelings evoke. There is absolutely no question about who's body it is at these very young ages. The bodys' should still be under the protection of the parents so that when they do get handed the right to treat their bodies the way they want to, they will hopefully have a bit more information and a bit more patience to think about what it is they intend to do, and what the consequences are in the long term. My personal feeling is that as long as the parent is paying for their gangs clothes, school, roof and food that, "Its My Body" is actually under their supervision and protection.

It is wise to remember when the whole, Its My Body thing, comes up that you in fact are the legal guardian of that body until the child reaches 16 for sex and 18 for alcohol, (depending on where you live of course). It is the parents duty to try and prevent young kids and teens who are so full of desire to live their whole lives in 15 minutes, from doing stupid things which is the want and the nature of kids. As parents it is our duty to deliver that body in as pure a state as possible to the owner at the right and legal age for all the things they want to do to it!! Don't worry about whether or not your child is going to like you, it is a passage of rite to have your kids say "I hate you". Quite frankly if we are honest we will always love our children but there are also times when we may not like them very much, whether it is for a couple of hours or a couple of days. Those feelings are as normal as your child thinking he/she hates you for not listening when they tell you that "Its My Body" after your denial of some outrageous request.

Where Its My Body is relevant, and I know I dont have to spell this out for all the worlds mostly wonderful parents and teachers, is when it comes to beatings that result in broken bodies, sexual abuse and or any other type of abuse that affects the mind and body of a child for their lifetime.

Some things to consider the next time your childs yells "Its My Body" that apart from the more obvious things like making someone pregnant or falling pregnant which can put a young childs life on hold for some time are things like getting into drugs/alcohol at parties they are too young to attend. Most kids are under the impression that doing recreational drugs like e and marajuana are harmless! Tell that to the mothers with junkie children and the gangs that hang around kids who do do drugs. Putting bars and piercings in obvious places can affect the type of job your child may someday aspire to. The scarring left behind which seems like nothing to a child can become an issue later on when the holes left behind keep filling up with black heads and eyebrows are no longer lush or straight. There is also the probability that kids who are allowed to dye their hair at a very young age and get piercings etc are more likely to be disatisfied with their looks for the rest of their lives.

The next time you child yells "Its My Body" you have probably stepped up to the mark as a parent by saying "no" to something dumb. It is our gangs job to do stupid things and it is ours to prevent them from accomplishing stupid deeds. Yes you will probably have to be as fast as James Bond to catch them but it will keep you fit and your mind active!! My sleuthing although productive was rather deflated when after hunting one my gang down, I found myself in a nightclub standing behind the chair of a young girl with impossibly teased out hair and heavy make up, demanding the whereabouts of my child from her friend who was sitting in front of this young girl! Dumb struck, she looked at me and then down at the young girl that I was standing behind and nodded in her direction!! Oh yes, I was standing right behind her, my hands on the back of her chair. She was unrecognisable, but to be honest I don't know who was more bush whacked, me or her. We still have a good laugh about it today, but definitely not at the time even though and even then, the morning after I could see the funny side, but then I had already got my child and her body safely back at home with me.

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