Shag Bands - Is it occuring in Ireland?

Herb Powell

societyproblem wrote: »

It's terrifying frankly that this is the world we are bringing our kids into today. I don't even want to think about how I'll feel when my daughter is a teenager. Sex is everywhere nowadays. Teenage kids are at it on Home and Away, it's spoken about on the radio, newspapers, mags, music videos, Mylie Cyrus pole dancing, and so on.

I think the career orientated, money obsessed professionals of Celtic Tiger Ireland neglected a lot of their duties as parents over the last 15 or so years. Kids have been running riot because their parents are too focused on careers and making money. It's my hunch that the next generation of parents have identified the damage this has caused to today's young teenagers and we will be a lot more cautious with giving our kids the freedom to go to their teenage discos, and socialising late into the night in their early teens.

Ultimately, kids will copy what they see around them, first and foremost from their parents, and secondly from their peers and the media. As parents, we must set the right example and try our best to encourage our kids to recognise moral values. Hopefully, the rest of society will follow but I'm not holding my breath.

you seem to think teenagers have never had sex before now

iguana

societyproblem wrote: »

Mylie Cyrus pole dancing, and so on.

Miley Cyrus is hardly a child, she's less than ten weeks away from being an adult. (I had to look that up - I'm not some crazy Cyrus fan;).)

And she was just dancing around a pole while fully clothed on a stage. It's nothing more than a former child star adding slight titillation to her act in order to transition her career into her adulthood.

charlemont

shock !! horror ! call a priest, call de valera, he will put manners on the kids ..

kids interested in sex ?? whatever next ...


when i read that i burst out laughing, what kind of person would take that seriously ?? a hysterical person... id hate to be that posters kid..

iv a 12 year old boy , he has his 1st girlfriend now and im delighted for him..
he dosent need to sneak around and try to hide things from me ...

desertcircus

Shag bands: a fashion craze among the parents of teen and tween children to panic that the wearing of a coloured bracelet indicates their child is a sex maniac willing to perform for anyone interested enough to touch their arm.

Seriously, this is nonsense. It's an urban myth. Stop worrying about shag bands and just raise your damn children. If you do a good job, they won't bang anyone who pulls on the right bracelet.

Galvasean

'Shag bands' I remember those from when I was in primary school. Back then the idea was if you broke the band - for some reason - you had to shag the person who gave it to you. Of course no one did, we were about 10 at the time.

Horse_box

Some of the reactions in here are hilarious!

Look, if you honestly believe your kid is buying these to actually represent what sexual encounters they have had, it's not the bracelets you should be worried about, it's your parenting

witchywoman

i had heard about these but did not take them seriously until my 10 yr old came home and told me that some of the girls were wearing the colour for a "lap dance' and "full sex" and that if a boy snapped the band they would have do do it ...i was horrified and promptly advised the school principle as i honestly did not think that my daughter should be subjected to the peer pressure of the girls a year ahead who said she was "frigid" for not partaking , the principal responded by banning the bands and the parents association gave a talk on peer pressure to the students , i can honestly say i did it for my child, to not be subjected to such filth at age 10 . Call me hysterical all you want , but i almost vomited at the words coming out of her little mouth , she is still my baby.I dont think that lap dancing technique should be discussed with little girls .

mariaalice

Of course you did the right thing getting touch with the school if your daughter was being put under pressure like that and the school did the right thing by banning them ...but i do thing there can be a slightly hysterical over reaction to some fads...it reminds of those silly newspaper article about teenagers and sex ...you know the kind of thing ...shock horror teenagers are having sex!

thesimpsons

and what will you do if and when the same girls just stop wearing the bands inside the school and wear them to and from school. better to educate your daughter than getting everything banned. Since the year dot, there have been wiser and more mature kids hanging around with more innocent ones. There's nothing you can do anything about it though.

we had an issue in my girls primary school where girls posted photos on facebook of themselves and teachers on their school tour. the school got up in arms over it and the teachers were demanding the photos be taken down. Sorry, but once its done outside of school hours and not on a school computer, there is actually very little you can do about it if the parents don't co-operate. Its a sad fact that there are many parents who just don't give a dam and will let their children do as they like but you just have to live around it.

Delicate_Dlite

Hi,

I'm not a parent, but I saw this on new posts, and I remember when I was in primary school and we had the original 'shag bands' plain black ones.

I was in 4th class (late nineties) when they became the new trend, and of course some of the more 'enlightened' kids told the rest of us, how they worked and they're meaning. :rolleyes:

Although there was talk of 'Jake broke Chloe's SB now she has to kiss/have oral sex/intercourse with him.' It never led anywhere, it was simply a 'joke' and a way to embarass the more innocent of the children. And used a way to make themselves look more mature and therefore *cooler*.:rolleyes:

I would say, that although you may not like your child hearing or discussing these things, but it's impossible to completely protect them for it.

My advice would be is that you as the parent should broach the subject and explain to them, about sex and peer pressure etc.

Also I knew I never told/talked to my parents about anything of a sexual nature I heard as school, even if I was confused and I did want to ask questions. So it's a good sign if your kids are actually talking to you about it.

PJTierney

Maybe I should take off this Blue band I've been wearing for the past year or so..

MultiUmm

I saw some first years wearing them yesterday. I think they're the only year who'd wear them tbh. The hysteria here is pointless. They're only having a bit of a laugh, I seriously doubt there'll be a huge rise in the number of kids becoming pregnant and the std rate rising in conjunction.

It's so silly that these "shag bands" detract from more serious issues affecting younger teenagers, e.g discussion of mental health, sex, drinking etc. No one seems too bothered about the complete lack of any focus on these issues.

StupidLikeAFox

PJTierney wrote: »

Maybe I should take off this Blue band I've been wearing for the past year or so..

Or better yet get someone else to

LegacyUser

my six year old came home with one today. I'm disgusted. I dont for one minute think that kids as young as her would act on it but I just dont like the idea of her even talking like that! (i asked her what it means if a boy breaks it she said it means you have to have S-E-X on the beach) Am wondering whether to ask principal to ban them from school or if i'm just being prudish

Namlub

sandydunne wrote: »

I became aware ofthese bands the other day when we received a letter from my 8yr old sons school saying they had been banned. I asked my son what they were and I was outraged by his reply. Hopefully other schools will follow suit.

Wearing a few coloured bracelets isn't going to turn kids into raving sex maniacs you know. Fair enough if you want them banned from schools, but with kids that age it'll probably be something different in a few weeks anyway. And schools can confiscate things until the cows come home, but it's it's not really their responsibility to make sure kids don't grow up thinking sexual activity should be dictated by rubber bands...

Dudess

Banning coloured bracelets on what grounds? They're used to signify sex acts? But they're still just coloured bracelets. If they're banned, the sex acts will probably be ascribed to some other item. When I was 10/11, over 20 years ago, we often had school playground discussions on blow jobs and sexual positions - because of curiosity, which is a reality for kids learning about the birds and the bees, bracelets or no bracelets. It's not like we even understood the half of what we were talking about anyway. Caysm, that's gonna be even more applicable to six-year-olds - although I can understand you feeling uncomfortable, to say the least, to hear a six-year-old using such terminology.

SportsGreatest

I'm fifteen, so I just thought I'd pop in here and give you my opinion.

Shag Bands have come into "fashion" again a few weeks ago, at least in my locality. I am wearing two at the moment - white and black.

I think you are all over-reacting to be honest. Yes, they all do represent a sexual act, or something similar, but that doesn't really hold any significance. Everybody sees them as a joke - people will break your black band (sex) for a laugh. Nobody actually takes them seriously and performs the act.

That's just my two cents.

jill_valentine

It seems likely to me that some or all of the kids wearing them originally got the idea from the press, rather than the other way around.

Good work Thinking Of The Children, Daily Fail.

Squiggler

I remember when kiss chasing was popular with my class in my primary school (and subsequently banned). There were a few of us who refused to take part in the game because our parents had taught us to have respect for ourselves and not to just let anyone who could catch us kiss us

There will always be something, it's just how kids are, but parents who've brought their children up to have respect for themselves and others will never have to be too worried.

TheQ47

There were some advantages going to all boys schools, then.

SerialComplaint

TheQ47 wrote: »

There were some advantages going to all boys schools, then.

Maybe it was an all-boys school!

skregs

SportsGreatest wrote: »

people will break your black band (sex) for a laugh. Nobody actually takes them seriously and performs the act.

No. They HAVE to have sex with you. FACT.

SerialComplaint

My 6-year-old has 'silly bands' - thin multi-coloured elastic bands in the shape of various things (guitar, fairy, star etc). A lot of her friends seem to be wearing them. We've had a few disagreements about wearing them to school - not because of any 'shag band' connection, but because I'm sure the kids will be messing with the bands for half the day instead of concentrating.

LegacyUser

i wouldnt worry if i were u.this sounds weird,but im 13.lol.
everyone wears them,and its all a joke.we know what they mean,we just dont put it into action...plus.most ppl i know dont wear the red,black,white or gold ones.so seriously.it isnt a big deal

lazygal

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/oct/03/sex-education-porn-twitter


I read this over the weekend. I think the comments after the article are almost as if not more interesting than the piece itself.

LegacyUser

i'm fifteen and atm (at the moment) i am wearing 10 shag bands ..... many differnet colours we wear them so people can break them and then we just laugh at what colour they break and what it stands for :L

LegacyUser

I have an 11 year old son and a 15 year old daughter both of whom are wearing these bands. My son hasn't a clue about any code. They are just the latest fad as far as he's concerns and he wears them in the colours of his local football team. My daughter does know the code but it's not taken seriously by her or her firends. They wear them as a fashion thing. Parents shouldn't get so uptight about every little thing. Talk to your kids and know what's going on in their heads, then you will know what to take seriously.

Skittleee

I'm a sixteen year old girl from Cork, and I think you're all taking this a bit too far.

Personally, I don't wear these bands, but I don't see a reason to ban them from schools etc. either.

Honestly, does your 7 year old child even know what oral is? I highly doubt it. If they do, well..

Do five year olds know what sex is? No. Do they care? No. When I was small I just thought sex was when adults kissed alot.

Honestly, this has gone too far. Banning plastic braclets? That's just like saying you're not alowed wear your hair up. It's a fad, much like pokemon cards, tomagotchis and that terribly annoying Crazy Frog song. It'll pass.

I'll ask you one thing; who make these "shag bands" knowing full well what they "represent"? Adults. Who has cast sexual contact as some foul topic never to be discussed with teenagers? Adults. (I'm not saying that you should be giving your 4 year old the birds and the bees speach, but if say..13 year olds got proper sex education they honestly wouldn't care about this stuff.)

Have a little more faith in your children. We're not all going at it like rabbits once your back is turned!

XxMCRxBabyxX

chele wrote: »

I read this in a paper and I am absolutely horrified. I just wonder to what extent this is going on in Ireland. I think parents ought to know, its very concerning.

Basically I read that illuminous coloured bands are being worn by kids as young as 7 in schools and that each bracelet colour symbolises what sexual act they are prepared to perform. Parents are completely unaware that each piece of cheap jewellery represents a differeny sex act. This secret code corresponds to colours and when a boy snaps the bracelet off their arm, the girl has to do what the band symbolises.

According to the code used in Birtish Isles,


Yellow- Hug
Pink- Flash
Blue- oral sex
Black symbolises - going the whole way
Gold means doing all of the above

This is horrendous and worst of all its kids as young as 11 and 12 who are driving it. There is pressure placed on young girls to show what they are willing to do and many girls do not want to be seen as not willing to do these acts, so they buy the bangles.

I can't imagine it happening here, but then again I am constantly amazed what is seen to be acceptable in Irish society these days

I think parents should be wary to this, as the bracelets look like harmless accessories... never in my life would I have thought when I wore those highlighter coloured plastic bangles as a 90's teenager that they had a new and twisted meaning!

I wore those, still do. The colours have no meaning.

This is more of a huge drama caused over a small group of children. Most children who wear these don't apply any meaning to them! They are fashion accessories not invitations.

Taking a rumour and assuming all children follow it is causing a drama over nothing imo

Gavin1234

chele wrote: »

I read this in a paper and I am absolutely horrified. I just wonder to what extent this is going on in Ireland. I think parents ought to know, its very concerning.

Basically I read that illuminous coloured bands are being worn by kids as young as 7 in schools and that each bracelet colour symbolises what sexual act they are prepared to perform. Parents are completely unaware that each piece of cheap jewellery represents a differeny sex act. This secret code corresponds to colours and when a boy snaps the bracelet off their arm, the girl has to do what the band symbolises.

According to the code used in Birtish Isles,


Yellow- Hug
Pink- Flash
Blue- oral sex
Black symbolises - going the whole way
Gold means doing all of the above

This is horrendous and worst of all its kids as young as 11 and 12 who are driving it. There is pressure placed on young girls to show what they are willing to do and many girls do not want to be seen as not willing to do these acts, so they buy the bangles.

I can't imagine it happening here, but then again I am constantly amazed what is seen to be acceptable in Irish society these days

I think parents should be wary to this, as the bracelets look like harmless accessories... never in my life would I have thought when I wore those highlighter coloured plastic bangles as a 90's teenager that they had a new and twisted meaning!

Its something with the similar goals/ attitude as a Traffic light party but just taken to a new extreme. I would believe this is hapening, possibly innocently all the same.

The party one would wear something Red, Yellow or Green

RED: I’m Already Taken!!
YELLOW: Undecided - TRY ME!!
GREEN: Go For It - Make My Day!!