The Centers for Disease Control took a national survey taken of thousands of teenaged mothers and uncovered an alarming piece of news.
Reasons cited to researchers by young mothers who hadn’t used birth control included; they believed that they “wouldn’t get pregnant because it was their first time having sex”; because it was the “wrong time of the month”; or, most puzzlingly, because they “thought they were sterile.”
What can parents do to fight the rising tide of ignorance?
1. Have that “sex talk” with your children, early and often. Talking about sex to kids doesn’t have to be formal or even serious; it just has to be get the information across.
2. Make it clear at all stages of your children’s lives that they can, and should, talk to you about sexual matters without fear of reprisal.
3. If your child asks you a question about general sexuality, or your own sexual experience, try to answer it as honestly as possible, given the child’s age, maturity, and ability to understand the answer. Remember that your child’s ability to ask you questions about sexual situations as they arise in his or her life is more important than your own possible momentary discomfort.
4. Start teaching the basics of birth control early to your child. As your child’s maturity, and ability to understand the concepts increases, so will your explanations of birth control.
5. Be sure to teach that when men and women have sex, women often get pregnant, and both men and women have new and serious responsibilities.
Online Resources for pregnant teens:
Online Resources for Parents of pregnant teens:
The child who is ‘left behind’ most is the one who leaves school without transition readiness.
Dr. James Stanfield, Ed.D.