Blog 2: "The Talk"

As a parent I have thought many times about all the talks I will need to have with my daughter as she grows up.  The one that scares me the most is the sex talk, do I tell her everything about sex and what can happen, or do I sugar coat it and only tell her minimal information.  I have come to the conclusion that telling her everything that I think she needs to know and everything that can come from having sex, as well as honestly answering any questions that she has would be the best approach.  I think teenagers need to completely understand what they are doing in their lives, otherwise they are curious about the unknown and are more likely to want to find out for themselves.

I think that the talk should take place at home where the teen is not going to feel uncomfortable about other people overhearing and where they can feel comfortable being open and asking questions that they may have.  The talk should be had with the teen before they enter high school as the pressures to have sex starts at a young age and most kids entering 9th grade are around the age of 14.  Some of the topics that should be covered with the teen should be the pressures that they may get from boys in their school, what sex is and the different kinds of sex, pregnancy, STDs, and sexting.  I think the parents should search the Internet prior to having the talk with their teen for good references that they feel are appropriate to show them.  There are may sites the discuss teens and sex and may also be a good resource for the teen if they have questions that they don't feel comfortable asking. 

Questions that parents may be faced with that could be hard to answer could be regarding how sex is actually performed and if they themselves had sex when they were a teenager.  Teenagers are very curious and will probably have many questions about everything that is being talked about, but i believe all the questions should be answered as openly and honestly as possible so that the teen gets the answer they are needing and don't continue to be curious.

Blog 1- Encouraging Healthy Behavior in Adolescents

I think the person in an adolescents life that can make the most difference in the way they behave is the parents.  Is there still going to be rebellion from your adolescent, of course, but as parents we can limit the risky behavior that cause many of the deaths in this stage of life.  "The top four causes of death for females ages 15-19 are accidents, cancer, assault, and suicide." (43)  Accidents are the leading cause of death in this age range and I think that the parents can play a big role in preventing many of them from happening.  Leading by example can be one of the best ways to show a teen how to act, such as not getting behind the wheel and driving if you have even had one sip of alcohol.  Kids this age are experimenting and they do not know what the limit should be, so if they see that you don't drive if you have even had a sip they may also follow your lead.  Also parents need to be open to talking to their teens about everything they are curious about.  I believe a huge reason accidents are the leading cause of death at this age is due to the curiosity that kids have during this period of their life.  If parents are open to answering questions and being open with their kids it could prevent a lot of the sneaking around a lot of kids do.  Kids should feel comfortable enough to call their parent if they make a mistake and drink at a party to come pick them up, rather than being too afraid to call them and getting behind the wheel and driving.  They should also be open to talking about sex and the dangers that can come from having unprotected sex.  Many parents are embarrassed to talk to their kids about sex, and other think that it may make their kids want to go our and have sex, but I also feel that a lot of time when kids at this age have sex it is because they are so curious about it they decide to just to it.  Hopefully if kids feel that they can be open with their parents it will prevent many of the dangers that come with being teens.

Alexander, Linda L.; LaRosa, Judith H.,; Bader, Helaine; Garfield, Susan; Alexander, William J. (2010). New Dimensions in Women's Health. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers