Spears' Pregnancy Prompts Sex Talk in Households
How will you talk to your kids about sex and teen pregnancy?
Dec. 21, 2007— -- Jamie Lynn Spears, Britney Spears' younger sister, who plays the character Zoey on the popular Nickelodeon program "Zoey 101," has caused a commotion with news of her pregnancy.
The headlines this week that the 16-year-old young actress is pregnant, have created a dilemna for parents across the country.
"All that [news] is very hard to explain to a 9-year-old girl," parent Allison Davidson said. She has two daughters, ages 7 and 9, and a 12-year-old son. All of them watch "Zoey 101."
Spears' character has all the trappings of a role model. Zoey is a smart student, loyal friend, and the pretty girl who holds her own against the boys, so it's not surprising she is idolized by tens of thousands of young girls.
Davidson's son, bombarded by talk of Spears' pregnancy, told his family about it.
"I feel that my children are exposed to [sex] at a very early age," Davidson said.
She wasn't the only one who learned the news from her own child.
Click here for guidance on how to talk to your kids about sex.
Click here to learn more about teen pregnancy.
In another household, Nina Sunderland started to field questions from her child, who saw the news on the Internet.
"I'm going to have a long conversation. I haven't had it yet, but [my daughter] goes on the computer and on the Internet, and now she's asking me questions.
"We tell them the truth," Davidson said. "We try and educate them."
Click here for a book excerpt from "Everything You Never Wanted Your Kids to Know About Sex."
But as parents debate what to say and when to say it, many of their children are already buzzing with their own views.
On one Web site for young girls, a "Zoey 101" viewer wrote, "I'm 12, and my mom refuses to say anything about puberty or 'the talk' ... all my other friends know, so why can't I?"
Another young viewer blogged, "Me and my mom are just very sad for her ... She's gonna really have to step up, and give up half her life to take care of that baby!"
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