All that horny adolescent behavior got me thinking. I know they teach sex education in school; the kids seem to have that subject mastered these days. But where's the relationship training? Isn't the sex part supposed to come after a meaningful relationship develops? Teaching them all about sex and not how to build a relationship is like handing a monkey a loaded gun with the safety off.

My oldest son wants to date, but he can't sit next to his little brother without punching him in the arm. I'd hate to think what some poor, adolescent girl might suffer at his hands.

In high school I took a class called ethics. One assignment was to carry around a weird-looking baby doll that you had to feed and change, or it would cry forever. We took them home for a week and shared the duties with a partner that the coach teaching the class assigned us. After a week with that doll, we all decided that having children was out of the question.

However, it also taught us how to be part of a couple. We had to work together to "raise" that ugly doll for a week. I think a bunch of the girls in my class learned that most men weren't going to be much help with child rearing. Coach Lavigne should have made the guys wear the dolls in a front carrier for a week.

While I doubt that my big idea is going to cause any major changes in the local high school curriculum, we parents can at least do our part to teach the kids how to treat each other. Before you unleash that hunk of burning love you call your son on the fair young maidens of Juneau, please teach him how to be nice to women. Teach him about inappropriate touching and that NO means NO. Teach him to open a car door for his date first and how to get her back home before curfew.

But above all, teach them how to enjoy dating and relationships. Sixteen-year-old kids should not be stressed out about their relationships or running around with real babies to care for.

• Gerry Bigelow can be contacted at gerrybigelow@yahoo.com.