Stop Watching the Show?

Question:

i have a problem. i watch this show alot called degrassi. maybe youve heard of it maybe u havent. anyway it is a really good show but it discuses sex quite a bit and even though im very mature about that for my age (11) i dont know if i would be allowed to watch it. its rated pg and im allowed to watch pg shows and movies. some pg13 ones to but i still dont know. degrassi is sorta like a teen soap opera since it is all about dating and stuff. butt still. one of the characters had a baby when she was 13 and then in the show when shes 16 shes taking care of her three year old daughter and focusing on her schoolwork. my parents dont know that i watch because im afraid that if i tell them theyll say im not allowed to wach it. what should i o? should i stop watching the show? should i tell my parents and hope they say yes? or should i keep on watching it secretly? please help.

Phyllis replied:

I’m wondering what it is you’re trying to tell me.  You say that you are allowed to watch PG movies and that you are mature about sex for an eleven year old, so I wonder what is making you uneasy.  I don’t know the program you mention, but it sounds as though they are trying to show a teenager who made a mistake at 13, and is now trying to straighten out her life, get an education, and raise a daughter at the same time.  Somehow I don’t think you feel that this story is going to make you want to get pregnant at 13 too.  And I’m sure you know that some girls do have sexual intercourse at an early age, and that some of them get pregnant, so that’s not news.  Is it possible that the program is realistic enough to show that teens do experience intense sexual feelings, and does this possibly arouse some feelings in you?  Perfectly natural.  A lot of things in our environment these days are sexually suggestive.  If there was something about sex in the program that you didn’t understand, you might want to ask your parents about it.  Simply tell them you’re watching a program about a 13 year old girl who made a mistake and is trying to do the best she can, but your question is………?

Something else to consider:  in those in-between years, between childhood and teenager, people start the scary business of slowly developing a more personal life and becoming more independent.  When  you were younger, you may have shared everything with your mom or dad–every thought, every feeling, anything at all you felt guilty about.  But slowly you begin to want to keep some things to yourself–boy interest, doubts about your body, arguments with teachers,  sexual feelings….  You may be wrestling with just how much of this program you want to share with your parents and which to keep to yourself.