Saturday, January 2, 2010

How To Curb Teen Pregnancy


Happy New Year, Everyone! What better way for parents of teenagers to start out 2010 than with a little guidance to help keep our emerging young adults on the right path. I am pleased to bring you a wonderful guest post by Tricia Goyer, a renowned author, speaker and teen expert. Take it away, Tricia . . .


How many young women do you know having babies? I know many. Nearly 1 million teen girls get pregnant every year.

If you don’t want your daughter to be one of the 1 million teen girls who find themselves pregnant every year, consider this:

1. Be a Role Model. Our kids often follow where we lead. Consider your life. Are you living with integrity? Are you only having sex within the bounds of marriage? The saying, “Do what I say not what I do” never works.

2. Talk about what love is. Love is not sex. Going “all the way” with someone doesn’t prove your love. (No matter what they show on television.) True love is shown through life-long commitment and by valuing the other person. Remind teens that they are the one responsible for setting sexual limits on a relationship. Remind young women, “Sex won't make him yours. A baby won't make him stay.”

3. Remind kids it CAN happen to them. Having sex, even so called "protected" sex, can lead to pregnancy. It can happen even to kids from a good family. The only way to 100% prevent pregnancy is to not have sex.

4. Emphasize that even “good girls” get pregnant. Having a good report card, being a good person, having an important parent, or being conscientious will not protect you from pregnancy. According to teenpregnancy.org, one in three young women get pregnant at least once before they turn 20--good girls included.

5. Let your daughter know that most teens wished they had waited. Sex before marriage can not only lead to pregnancy, but there are other health concerns, such as STDs. There is also emotional baggage. According to teenpregnancy.org, 60% of teens “wished they had waited longer” to have sex.

6. Encourage your teen to plan her actions BEFORE the situation arises. Talk about set boundaries and not putting herself in situations that will cause her to compromise those decisions. Help her make good plans for her future and stick to goals.

7. Talk about media’s wrong messages. The media (television, radio, movies, music videos, magazines, the Internet) are chock full of material sending the wrong messages. Just because we see everyone in Hollywood having sex and having babies, doesn't mean it's the right thing to do. Babies are a responsibility, not a fashion accessory.

8. Encourage secondary purity. Teens can say “no” even if they’ve said "yes" before. Today your daughter can make the right choice and choose abstinence.

9. Realize parents can only do so much … but make sure it’s done! As a parent, you cannot be around your child 24/7. Yet, we can do our best to prepare our daughters. Don’t wait.

10. Let you kids know you are available to talk about every issue in life. It's also important for parents to open up a two way conversation, not a one-way lecture. Parents can do this by turning the above topics into questions such as: What are your boundaries? Do you think sex proves you love someone? What do you think of the messages media gives out?


Tricia Goyer is an author, speaker and Teen/Family Life Expert. Learn more about her at: www.triciagoyer.com.



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4 comments:

Rick Machado said...

This article is incorrect, untrue,and has no bearing on the reality and social dynamics behing the teen birth rate.

Ms. Tricia Goyer may be labeled an expert by the uneducated, but my experience and her statements tell me she has a lot to learn about teen pregnancy. She has no sense of the truth, and even less of how to help.

I will gladly send in a rebuttal if the editor sees fit.

Rick Machado
Public Speaker on Teen Pregnancy

Lynn said...

Rick,

I welcome your rebuttal. This is an open forum, so I look forward to hearing your point of view. I'll let Tricia know so that she can respond to you, as well.

Lynn

Rick Machado said...

Thank you Lynn. Would you like me to write it in the comments, or send it to an email, and you can post it elsewhere?

Rick

Lynn said...

Rick,

Go ahead and send it to my e-mail address, and I will publish it as a separate post.

Send to: Boatfolk@aol.com