Talking Sex With Teenagers.docx

READING JOURNAL 1

TALKING SEX WITH TEENS

PREPARED BY: NURUL HAMIZAH BINTI AB MUTALIB [GROUP C] [2008242108]

LECTURER: MADAM ZURIANI BINTI YAACOB

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Title

: Talking Sex with Teens

Author

: Saralee Rosenberg

Source

: Reader’s Digest (August 2005)

It is parent’s job to give their kids the straight facts about sex. Having honest, open discussion about sex, as agreed by parenting experts, is the best way to help your teen make good decisions. Often parents think kids would rather do something else than listen to the talk. A recent survey however found that teens actually wish parents gave more direct advice about sex instead of by mean of jokes. The way teenagers think are different from their parents and when it comes to talking about their love life, often teenagers think that parents will never understand them. Parents just have to find a way how to get their children to see the magnitude of forming good relationships. Kids would usually don’t take your words at first and that is normal. They need time and sooner or later the kids would understand that all their parents ever wish for is their happiness.

In my opinion, it is true that parents play an important role in providing sex education to teenagers because they are the ones who can be considered as the most suitable teacher due to the parent2

children relationship. However, most parents are having problem in dealing with how they are going to make their children understand. Nevertheless, having enough knowledge about sex is really subtle to teenagers and parents should be aware of how great the impact of being innocent about sex on their children. Everyday and everywhere we go we see a teenage girl pregnant. As teenagers, we don’t realize the long term effect that unprotected sex will have on us. Not only do we run the risk of pregnancy, but we also run the risk of getting very nasty sexually transmitted diseases such as herpes, HIV and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). Talk on sex with teenagers is also important to prevent them from becoming the victims of sex assault including date rape. Teenagers may encounter various emotions when facing an unplanned pregnancy such as confusion, fear, resentment and frustration and no concerned parents would ever want to see their kids living in depression. Other consequences are social stigma for unmarried mothers and their children and limited education which causes fewer career and job opportunities.

The reason why it is hard for the parents to talk about sex with their children is that they don’t know how to begin with. If parents find it is hard to talk about this matter, they may begin by leaving ageappropriate articles or books about teenage sexuality around the home because chances are there that teens will pick them up on their own 3

and read them. Sexuality, in most of its aspects, can be a joyful topic for discussion in the family and perhaps parents might consider giving sex education by means of jokes and so on. Parents also need to provide accurate information and decision-making skills to help protect the teenagers from pressure to have sex, unintended pregnancy, and HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. Don't assume that if your teen asks questions about sex, he or she is necessarily thinking about having sex because this might somehow triggers misunderstanding between you two. Last but not least, your first talk with your teen about sex should not be your last and let them know that you are always willing to talk about any question or concern he or she may have about sex.

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