My son is 15 and as far as I know he is not sexually active. We have talked many times about pregnancy and STD's. He is dating a little. What I'm wondering is this... If I buy him condoms is that like saying its ok for him to have sex? If the situation does happen I want him and the girl he is with to be protected.
I know eventually it IS going to happen. SHould I buy them for him. (And yes we do talk about things but it is embarrassing for him.. I am his mom)

If you feel that you have an open and honest relationship with your son and he is not sexually active, there is no reason for him to need condoms. Fifteen is certainly quite young to be having sex anyway.
However, having condoms certainly does not promote having sex, nor does it mean that you condone sex. If you were to provide him with condoms, all it would mean is that you care about him and you insist that, if he DOES decide to have sex, he only has protected sex.
You would want to discuss this with him and make it clear, however.

Let's face it kids are having sex and a lot are having sex at even 'while shocking ' younger than 15. I don't think your promoting sex if you buy your son some condom's he's going to do it when he's ready whether or not you do or don't buy them but if you buy them now before he ask you might have a better chance of him using them rather than waiting for him to come to you and say "ok I'm ready for you to buy them condom's now" that can be a little embarrasing for some to say plus just the fact that their parents now know that they want to have sex is enough to keep most kids from asking when their ready. If it were me I'd simply buy the condoms put them in his drawer and tell him 'Hey when your ready they are there' and 'If you want to talk to me I am here' and leave it at that. In the mean time you can still continue to talk to your child about the risk of having sex to young and the consequences involved. He still will have sex when he's ready but at least this way you have given him a chose to protect himself. Beth

I had a long talk with my son today. I decided I am NOT going to buy them for him. We talked about pregnancy and STD's. He assured me that when the time comes that he knows to use protection. I may post again in the future about this but for now, I'm going to wait. I am so grateful that my son and I can talk about anything. We must have talked for 2 hours today. Thank you Elexina and Beth for your input. You both gave really good answers.

I think that if you've established to him that you DON'T agree with him having sex at such a young age, you know that it's likely to happen anyway. Especially if he's dating. I think he can buy his own condoms, and most likely has...just to look 'cool'.
There is a condom in my daughters wallet. Not because I want her to have sex, or that I'm giving her permission, not even that I'm condoning it....but because I know kids will make spontanius (sp) decisions and I would rather she be protected then get a disease. Lots of people disagree with me and I don't care. If it's going to happen, I know I did my part by educating her and helping to prevent something that very well could kill her.

Just my opinion

Parents, just a side note. My mom gave me condoms when I was a teen (and it wasn't THAT long ago) but I didn't have sex until I was 21. You aren't telling them to have sex by giving them protection, you are giving them what they need to make smart choices. That's not the purpose of this post, though.

It's important that everyone here realize that condoms do NOT have an infinate shelf life, and they can be damaged easily. A wallet is NOT a good place to keep a condom. It can get rubbed or crushed or poked, or lots of other things. You only want to put something like that in your wallet if it's going to get used THAT NIGHT. Otherwise it's effectivness can be severely reduced or even non-existant.

If you want your kids to keep condoms (just in case) make sure they get replaced every three months (like changing oil) and make sure they're kept in a cool, dry location.

Anyway...personally, I chose to not to have sex until I was ready and was mature enough to handle the responsiblity of it. Not everyone does that though, and I was glad my mother cared enough for me to make sure I would be safe no matter what.

I bought condoms for my nephew when he got his first girlfriend at 16..he was embarrassed, but I'd rather that than he get a girl pregnant..once he left home and was living in another town, each time I sent him a care package, I included a big pkt of condoms..

He is 21 now and has told me he really appreciated them at the time as he couldn't really afford to buy them..

I don't think it is condoning sex, I think it is being responsible..

or

just let your child know condoms are available, w minimal embarasment, at large corporate drug stores like Rite Aid or Walgreen's . Also super markets

A girl will often accept this info more easily from a close female, a boy from a close male.

A little embarassment is better than unwanted pregnancy or disease.

Also, many areas have a Planned Parenthood. A teen can go into Planned Parenthood and, along with a little bit of counselling, get condoms for free.

I agree that it is better to be safe than sorry.

And Clare, it sounds like you have a great relationship with your son - keep the lines of communication going.