teenage sex

Teen Sexual Behavior
(For Parents)

cont. from

The challenge for any person is to make sense of facts in ways that are meaningful in life -- in ways that help them think and make wise choices. Schoolroom lessons leave much to be desired in this regard.

Commitments and values differ so widely in society that schools cannot be very thorough or consistent in their treatment of moral issues. According to a growing body of research, parents and religious beliefs are a potent one-two combination when it comes to influencing a teen’s decisions about whether or not to have sex.

A study published in the Alan Guttmacher Institute’s Family Planning Perspectives (Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health) showed that parents can best keep their teens from becoming sexually active by:

• maintaining a warm and loving relationship with their children
• letting teens know that they are expected to abstain from sex until marriage

Parents who are involved in their children's lives, and who confidently transmit their religious and moral values to their children, have the greatest success in preventing risky behavior.

For this reason, it is more important for teenagers to see real-life examples of people who understand and deal responsibly with their sexual natures.

Morals are not abstractions. Morals have to do with real-life commitments to people and things that have value. Parents and other influential adults (at school, at church, and in the community) need to show teenagers the difference between devotion and infatuation and help them make the distinction in their own hearts.

Teenagers need to understand that satisfying sexual relationships -- like other relationships -- require careful thought and wise action.

Are you wondering what "normal" sexual behavior is for children and teens?

Last updated: 8/05

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