The news that Britney Spear's 16 year old sister is 12 weeks pregnant by her 19 year old boyfriend has provoked some discussion about the possibility that Casey Aldridge may well face legal troubles.

I'm somewhat of a hard-ass on this kind of thing, because the dynamic is so unfair to the girls. The reality is that young guys actively seek out 14-16 year old girls because they know they are far more easily manipulated into a sexual relationship than their female peers. To a fifteen year old, a nineteen year old seems like a "real man".

Should you put away a seventeen year old boy for ten years for having sex with someone two or three years younger than he is?

It depends. If its a pattern, I would say some prison time is justified. In my estimation, the courts should treat it like they do marijuana infractions--pleas in obeyance on the first offense and then progressive more serious consequences.

My kids are adolescents no longer, but I gotta tell you--I was worried sick about something like this happening. They are so horny at that age, and so incredibly stupid. The fact that Jamie Lynn Spears had a 19 year old boyfriend and that her parents were either ignorant of the relationship, or worse, knew of it--is unconscionable. Its a huge pain in the neck, but you've got to know what your kids are doing and with whom, and step in when necessary. There will be a lot of screaming and yelling and "I hate yous", but that's better than your daughter getting pregnant or your son making someone else's daughter pregnant.