Reply #29: I have an 11 yr old and quite frankly, I don't think anyone is

[WildClarySage]

underestimating them. My son is no more capable of consenting to any medical procedure than he is of driving a car. He simply isn't old enough to comprehend the risks, benefits and consequences. Heck, we don't even leave him alone at home yet.

Are you really saying that you knew about fetal development, the tolls on your body during pregnancy, including calcium leaching, pregnancy-induced hypertension, hyperemesis gravidum, leg cramps, gestational diabetes, heartburn *from hell* (which is why I'm up at this hour! lol) and constant backache? And you could make a thoroughly competent decision regarding your physical condition?

At 11, my son knows the basic mechanics of pregnancy, and he's experiencing it vicariously through me right now. If, as you say, you were vastly more knowledgeable about human development than my son and his peers, then you were a remarkable young girl. You might have hated your parents, but you would be still alive to hate them. My guess is that you are still someone who thinks she knows more about life than she actually does. Take heart, I don't mean that as an insult. At 37, I am now learning how little I know about life, myself.