Growth and Development, Ages 13-17 (continued)
Source: Advocates For Youth
Topics: Teen Years (13-19), High School, Talking With Your Teen About Sexuality, Sex Education, more...
Topics: Teen Years (13-19), High School, Talking With Your Teen About Sexuality, Sex Education, more...
- Clearly articulate your family and religious values regarding sexual intercourse. Express that, although sex is pleasurable, young people should wait to initiate sex until they are in a mature, loving, and responsible relationship.
- Express that we all have a variety of options for experiencing intimacy and expressing love.
- Discuss together the factors, including age, mutual consent, protection, contraceptive use, love, intimacy, etc., that you and your teen believe should be a part of decisions about sexual intercourse.
- Reinforce teens' ability to make decisions while providing information on which they can base those decisions.
- Discuss contraceptive options and talk about the importance of condom use.
- Discuss teens' options, should unprotected intercourse occur—including emergency contraception and STI testing and treatment. Discuss teens' options, should pregnancy occur, including abortion, parenting, and adoption.
- Discuss exploitive behavior and why it is unhealthy and (in some cases) illegal.
Help youth identify various physical and verbal responses to avoid/get away from sexual situations that make them feel uncomfortable.
- Acknowledge that teens have many future life options, that some may marry and/or parent while others may remain single and/or childless.
- Use inclusive language that recognizes that some youth may be gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender.
- 1
-
2
Reprinted with the permission of Advocates for Youth.
Take Action
- this article with friends and family.
- Have a question about Teen Years (13-19)? Ask it here.
- Publish your work on education.com.
