Helping kids avoid sex is no longer a moral or religious issue; it is a medical one. If I didn’t believe that we can be effective in helping our kids delay their sexual debut, I would stay silent. But we can help. You can help.
Here are seven crucial ways to protect your kids from the deadly epidemic that has claimed too many young lives already.
- Know the data. Teens today face greater threats than we did, with the twin (and related) epidemics of sexually transmitted infections and depression. Know the facts to prevent your teen from becoming a victim.
- Get to know your teen’s friends. The best way to find out what your teen is involved in is to ask what his friends are up to. You can bet that whatever your kids’ friends are doing, your own children are doing as well.
- Don’t just talk. Listen. If you really want to get closer to your kids and get them to open up, just gently ask questions and then listen without responding or interrupting. You must wait (sometimes days) to give your opinion—if you want it to make an impression on your teen.
- Engage, don’t bail. Teens need—and want-parental involvement…
