[AudreyOka]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/07/13....ap/index.html

Do you agree that this drop in teen sex is a result of outside influences, or do you believe today's parents are a bit different?

An example. My own mom never really talked, I mean really talked to me about sex. She pretty much said two things "no sex until marriage" and "it's not ok to get pregnant"

I've had tons and tons of conversations with my own kids. We've talked about responsibility. We've talked about consequences of pregnancy. We've talked about STD's and AIDS. We've talked about relationships.

So, what do you think?

[QueenAngie]

From what I am hearing from teens,
is that actual sex is lessening,
but the preliminaries have definitely increased.

KWIM?

[kailabrooke09]

my mother never talked to me about it.. no one did.. i found thru friends and tv.. that was it.. & when my mom found out that i had lost my virgintity she went balistic on me.. but i think talking to kids about it is the best thing to do,, i am 16 and if a parent or parent figure tells me not to,, then i will and most other teens will also.. so let your children know about std's , the cost of pregnancy, and the labor,, then they will decide,, a parent will not be able to stop it tho, i promise there is no way. -love brooke

[QueenAngie]

Welcome to the board, Brooke!

Thank you for sharing! It is tough being a teenager and going through the hormones & urges.

I once was a teenager myself.

Now, I'm the Mom.

I'm thinking that years from now when you are the Mom, you will make every effort to educate your children in this area.

Yes, if you were my daughter, I would have told you, "Don't have sex. It's better to wait until you are married." And yes, information on STDs, AIDS, Herpes, unplanned pregnancies, etc.


Since you have made the decision to have sex....
if you choose to have sex, protect yourself
from STDs and pregnancies.

Stay in school!

Thank you for sharing!

[mcmama]

The talking, and the information is important.

I don't know how effective "don't do it" is - I think "it's better to wait and here is why" is better. I have sons, one 22 one almost 17.

Mainly I told them two things:

1. Treat a girl you love so much you want to make love to her BETTER than you treat your mom. This is your LADY.
2. If you have sex, you must deal with all the consequences, physically, financially, emotionally. That means pregnancy, STDs, and the impact that an intense relationship, a pregnancy, abortion, or miscarraige will have on your schoolwork, future plans, love life, and your life in general.

They're not part of the "friends with benefits" set. And they've always found the silly girls boring. The girls they find attractive are usually achievers in academics, sports, creative, and college bound.

I have friends who are single parents who have had to tell their 12 year old daughters no, you are not going to a "lipstick party" - ever. (unsupervised party usually involving oral and lipstick - thats all I'm saying). And the kids mind them because there are OTHER things to do. Who knows what the parents of the boys who "host" these parties are doing.

Aside from real romance, there's a lot of garbage that passes for intimacy out there - I think a lot of teens pass it up because there's more for them to be involved in, and around here, kids are very time pressured with school, activities, and jobs.

[MissyChrissy]

I have no idea of the reasons...or if that article is even accurate. I doubt I would have admitted to anyone I was having sex when I was a teen (and I was, obviously, 'cause I had Bobbie when I was 17). And my parents DID talk to me about sex, std's, emotions, and I knew about AIDS.

I think there are so many varying factors that go into a teen's decisions to have sex or not, that they cannot say it's any one thing. It's as individual as the person making that decision. The best a parent can do is teach to the best of their ability, not offer opportunities in their home, and hold their breath. That's what I'm doing