OK, I know I'm gonna touch on a very touchy subject anyways but, oh man I'm just still a little bit in shock about this article I was reading on MSNBC online. It was based on a study by a professor at North Carolina State University.
I am from a Christian background. I also had parents that strayed from going to church regularly, etc. I had a Mother that age appropriately, at least in the beginning, went over sexuality with me. I list this background because I'm just one of many, even God fearing people, who know that young people of all backgrounds and faiths are having sex!
As a basic overview, the study shows that many parents(mostly Mother's) believed their child to be "naive", "immature", and almost asexual. Their position on if their child became pregnant or if they found out they were sexually active was that of a victim. Meaning, their child was a victim of a predatory person and not a willing participant. Another subject in the article, speaks about the parent's opinions about other teenagers. They believed that many were sexually promiscuous and that they were ready and willing for almost anything. Really? I just wonder how a parent can lump so many other young people into a category and not think for a second that their child could be part of it?
I'm not stupid here folks, the last thing I EVER want to think about when considering my little girl is her having sex!! I repeat, that it's even a little gross to think about her maturing and being an adult. But, and here's the big but, my husband and I are responsible in teaching her our belief systems on her sexuality and about her body! I know that America is no longer puritanical. We can no longer say that we are sheltered like children were in the 1950's. We can't deny the fact that sex is smeared in our faces on a daily basis. We can't forget that it's in magazines, media of all types, on billboards, spoken about in schools, libraries, the streets. It's spoken about amongst Christian, Atheist's, Jews, etc alike.
The reason I'm bringing this subject up is because it's really gotta change! Why? I think the primary reason is for the safety of our children's physical well being, spiritual, and emotional well being. Statistics show that most kids are on the same paths as their parent's in many ways. If a parent was a teen parent, a drug addict, a smoker, a drinker, etc., odds are at least one child is going to follow in their footsteps. But what about the parents that don't fall into that category? Do you think they're exempt because they didn't show the same bad examples? Nope!
If we take an honest look at the reality of the situation, it's not the norm to abstain until marriage anymore. I don't care what faith you have. Our children, and that's exactly what they are, are not going to know how to handle these situations unless we prepare them. They're also not going to know how to deal with their spiritual struggles if we don't teach them. They're not going to know how to deal with the emotional connections that are formed with their partners, or on the other spectrum how to form a good, solid, loving relationship. They're not going to know what the scriptures say, and why they say them. And, they're almost never prepared to be told they have a STD or STI, or that they are pregnant.
I think I've covered the basics. I know in reality, we know what to do. I know we want to cherish our children as if they're going to be children forever but, we can't. Waiting until they've almost graduated is too late. We have to start instilling in them as young children what we want them to carry through their lives. I'm not trying to preach, I'm stating the facts. If you choose to live in ignorance, don't call it bliss!
*article MSNBC* *photo borrowed from fortroubledteens.com*