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Americans created "teenagers" after World War II. No other countries has them the way we do....calling them all children up to 17 years, 364 days, and subjecting all of them to the laws of prepubescent children....except for 17-year-old "men" who enlist in the military. They suddenly become men at 17. Ah, the miralce of selective thinking.
Before that teens down to age 13 worked. Some boys as young as 12 went to sea to work. Two Years Before the Mast was a wonderful book based on that teen's experiences aboard ship.
"Underage" teens worked and married throughout history.

In Europe and Britain today (and most of the world), young teens not going to the university will start work-study apprentice programs at 14 or 15.

No reason why girls can't marry at 16 or 17. Some are really quite ready to do so. Some do, though I suppose their husbands are, therefore, guilty of statutory rape if they are 18 and have sex with their fiance before marriage. Pretty hard to see some 16-17 year old female teens as "underage" for sex -- especially with 18-year-old men. Hard to see some 16-17 year old teen males as "underage" for sex.

We have very mixed messages in our laws about teens, further confused by individual state laws that contradict other states--driving, drinking, voting, enlisting, marrying, working.

I'm not offering any solutions but it wouldn't be a terrible thing to RE-THINK the sex thing and age of consent for teens under 18.

"No reason why girls can't marry at 16 or 17. Some are really quite ready to do so. Some do, though I suppose their husbands are, therefore, guilty of statutory rape if they are 18 and have sex with their fiance before marriage."

All of this depends on state laws. In most states in this country, the age of consent is 16 or 17, so girls (and boys) of that age can have sex with whomever they wish, aside, in most cases, with teachers.

There are a few states with an age of consent of 18, but not a lot.

So, the Sophomore or Junior in high school, in most states can have sex whenever he or she wants to. That's the law. They can also marry.

Check the laws in your state here:

http://www.ageofconsent.com

Careful there. You are not right-thinking. Right-thinking will be rewarded. Wrong-thinking will be as quickly punished. You will find this an effective combination.

Americans created "teenagers" after World War II. No other countries has them the way we do....calling them all children up to 17 years, 364 days, and subjecting all of them to the laws of prepubescent children....except for 17-year-old "men" who enlist in the military. They suddenly become men at 17. Ah, the miralce of selective thinking. Before that teens down to age 13 worked. Some boys as young as 12 went to sea to work. Two Years Before the Mast was a wonderful book based on that teen's experiences aboard ship. "Underage" teens worked and married throughout history.

I have a similar take on what you said, the extended adolescence (it seems to go up to 25 sometimes in today's world) didn't really start until after World War II. In ancient Rome, a 14 year old could be the head of a house, join a legion and generally do what an adult was reaponsible for. Some Biblical scholars claim that Mary was 15 to 18 years old when Jesus was born while Joseph was 35 or 40ish. Early in the 20th Century, my great-great uncle, a Russian Jew settled in a tight knit Jewish community after an eventful life in his younger days to where a matchmaker (ala "Fiddler of the Roof" or "Yentl") fixed him up with a 16 to 18 year old bride, he was 45 or so, had kids and lived the rest of his life.

Now I don't advocate a lot of this in today's world, heck a 13 to 16 year old 100 years ago was generally more grown up than one today and thus wear more "Ready" to should some if not all of life's responsibilities. My grandfather quit school at 13 to go to work and that was 1914.

I do think we need to come together and work out these mixed messages we send out. I'm not for instant gratification for the sake of sex, myself, I feel we do need to get back to a more traditional society, but there are times hypocrisy shows. I think we do to get back to teaching our children and ourselves to be more mature and responsible but in this post 1960's "anything goes" society, it is really hard. I guess overall, the age of 16 for consent is a fair but imperfect compromise.

Most states already have an age discrepancy clause built into their statutory rape laws. Generally 1-3 years, where one party is a minor and one party is a legal adult.

The objective of statutory rape laws is not to deter like-age teens from having sex with each other ... it is to deter adults having sex with minors.

No reason why girls can't marry at 16 or 17. Some are really quite ready to do so. Some do, though I suppose their husbands are, therefore, guilty of statutory rape if they are 18 and have sex with their fiance before marriage. Pretty hard to see some 16-17 year old female teens as "underage" for sex -- especially with 18-year-old men. Hard to see some 16-17 year old teen males as "underage" for sex.

Aggreed there is a huge difference between teens having sex and pre-pubescent children. Not so long ago a girl was an old maid if she was not married by the time she was 20.

I like what the apostle Paul said about two people who were having sex. "let them marry".

When I was in high school a girl and her boyfreind got married at 16. Today they are still married after 23 years, and have three children.

Of course they said to me that if both sets of parents had not allowed them to marry and supported them, they would have ended up having children out of wedlock. A very bad sin.

I have to say that if I had a daughter and she was 15 or 16 and a young man wanted to marry her I would consider it on the following criteria...

Is he a Christian man in good standing with the Church? (must be a yes answer).

Does he work hard? (Must be a yes answer)

Does he drink Alcohol or take drugs? (Answer better be "NO")

Are his parents good Christians in good Standing in the Church and do they approve of the marriage? (must be yes and yes).

I know it is old fashioned but completely allowable under God's laws to allow a teenager to marry. It is not sinful or wrong in any way. Now if you are a parent and you allow your son or daughter to run around alone with people of the opposite sex without supervision you are a fool.

Like my preacher says, you take a young boy and a girl and put them together alone, don't be suprised if a baby is on the way.