Horny Teenagers And Their Shocked Mothers

This came from Dear Abby

DEAR ABBY: My 14-year-old daughter, "Jessica," is mature for her age and a straight-A student. She is entering her freshman year of high school. She is an avid reader, and I have recently found cause to be concerned about what she's reading.

Abby, Jessica is reading adult romance novels that feature what I consider to be content that is too mature and erotic for a child her age to read. I have told her to stop buying them, but I know she's still sneaking them into the house because I found some when I went into her room to clean.

What should I do? I'm uncomfortable about her reading this type of material. What will it do to her future relationships and her judgment of what's acceptable and not acceptable in those relationships?

We have argued over this. Jessica says there is nothing in the books that she didn't already know about, and having learned about sex and relationships in school, there is no reason why she shouldn't be allowed to read what she wants.

Is she right? Am I being overprotective? Or will her current reading choices cause future problems? -- NERVOUS IN BERNARDSVILLE, N.J.

Dear Nervous,

She is physically mature enough for a sexual relationship but not mentally. So where is a teenager to turn with all these often embarrassing… uh… feelings… down there? Masturbation of course. It’s been keeping teenagers sane since the typical age for marriage cruised past 16. That’s where the romance novels come in; you see they are basically girl porn. The books are giving her an outlet for all the pent up hormones without the risk of pregnancy, STDs or heartbreak; and they make her hella good at mad libs. Sounds like the perfect situation for a teen.

She has unrealistic expectations of relationships, just like all the other 14 year old girls. I think it’s a law or something. You’re worrying over nothing. Just out of curiosity, would you have been so flabbergasted if you caught your 14 year old son with a playboy?