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I mean, it's not my place to tell you how to parent, but in my opinion saying you'd have a different response for your hypothetical daughter than for your son is probably something you should examine. Why are we more comfortable with young men being predated on, than with young women? It makes me equally uncomfortable to think about a 19-year-old boy in a relationship with a 40-year-old adult. I don't think it's about treating women, or teenaged adults in general, like children, but helping them to identify when they're being taken advantage of and guiding them to make healthy relationship choices. Prematurely expecting teenagers to know how to navigate complex adult relationships is part of the problem.

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Dr. Casey Lawrence
Dr. Casey Lawrence

Written by Dr. Casey Lawrence

Canadian author of three LGBT YA novels. PhD from Trinity College Dublin. Check out my lists for stories by genre/type.

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