Liberal parenting: How far should it go?

In Monday's episode of the "Tyra Show," Levi Johnston, 19, talks in detail about his relationship with Bristol Palin, his ex-fiancée and the daughter of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin. Bristol Palin and Johnston have a newborn son, Tripp. The couple recently ended their engagement.

In the interview, Johnston tells Banks that not only did he share a room with his girlfriend under Gov. Palin's roof; the teens also practiced safe sex "most of the time." He also said he was confident that Gov. Palin knew the teens were engaged in sexual relationship.

My kids are really young, so the topic of teen boyfriend/girlfriend sleepovers is one I don't think about often. I'm still savoring Little League baseball, preschool, "The Backyardigans," and lullabies. But news stories such as this one do make me wonder how liberal moms and dads can be in their parenting styles (especially when those parents are more authoritative).

You'd expect more conservative parents, like Gov. Palin, to completely shut down any request from their kid to let a boyfriend or girlfriend spend the night in their bedroom purely on principle (read: "Not under my roof, kid.") But I've seen conservative--and very religious--parents allow these types of sleepovers because it gives them a sense of (false) control, thinking that their kid would never dare to have sex with a mom or dad home. (Think again!)

It also seems almost natural that liberal/permissive parents would allow their child's boyfriend/girlfriend to spend the night. They may be very open about sex, even providing their teens with condoms or other birth control. And if their teen is going to have sex, better it be under their own roof rather than the back seat of a car. Some might have more of a "don't ask, don't tell" approach--they want their kids to practice safe sex, but they don't want to know when or if it's happening. And others might might draw the line when it comes to encouraging teen sex, especially in their home.

And can we talk about the sheer irony that the same lady who supports abstinence-only sex education for teens allowed her teenage daughter to sleep with her then-boyfriend in her own home? (One of my favorite quotes from Gov. Palin is when she said she's "opposed to explicit sex education.") For the record, Gov. Palin has not denied that Johnston spent the night. She has only said through her family's rep, Meghan Stapleton, that Johnston and his family are spreading "flat-out lies, gross exaggeration, and even distortion of their relationship." Wow.

Your turn: When it comes to more liberal schools of parenting, are you going too far by letting your teens have an overnight visit with their boyfriends/girlfriends? Have you allowed your teen's boyfriend/girlfriend to spend the night at your home? Would you?