photo taken from hivplusmag.com
Sex education for teens is very significant for today’s generation. This is the main reason why sex education for teens is included in the curriculum of several schools worldwide for they recognize and feel that sexual awareness and knowledge can serve as protection for the youth of today. There are two types of sex education programs; abstinence-only program and comprehensive program. Let us compare what these two sex education programs teach.
ABSTINENCE-ONLY PROGRAM
- Sexuality is primarily emotional and psychological, not physical in nature.
- Sexual happiness is linked to intimacy, love and commitment qualities found primarily in marriage.
- In proper circumstances, sexual activity leads to long term emotional bonding between two individuals.
COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM
- Promotes that abstinence as the most effective way to prevent teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
- Teaches accurate and age appropriate information on healthy relationships, contraception and sexually transmitted diseases.
- Includes discussions of human anatomy, reproduction, sexual behaviors, pregnancy prevention strategies and gender roles.
- Provides adolescents with information which can help them make responsible choices concerning their sexual health as well as building knowledge, attitude and skills.
Parents want their children to grow up as responsible and well-rounded individuals. Aside from that, they want their children to have a bright future and always have their best interests at hand. In order to achieve that, they ensure that what their children learn from school are the things that are beneficial for their growth and not the ones that could lead their children into destruction. Hence, these are the things that parents want to be taught in sex education programs; ( taken from heritage.org)
- Parents want teens to be taught that sex should be linked to love, intimacy and commitment and these qualities are more likely to occur in marriage.
- Parents want teens to be taught that it is best to delay sex until marriage.
- Parents want teens to abstain from sexual activity during high school years.
- Parents want teens to be taught that abstinence is best.
- Parents want teens to be taught that the younger the age an individual begins sexual activity, the greater the probability of harm.
- Parents want teens taught that teen sexual activity is likely to have psychological and physical effects.
- Parents want schools to teach that teens who are sexually active are more likely to be depressed.
- Parents want sex education to teach that the more sexual partners a teen has, the greater the likelihood of physical and psychological harm.
- Parents want teens taught that having many sexual partners at an early age may undermine one’s ability to develop and sustain loving and committed relationships as an adult.
- Parents oppose teaching that teen sex is okay if condoms are used.
Clearly, parents want their children to delay sex if possible and wait for the right time. Most parents want their children to abstain from sex during their teenage years. Moreover, parents think that sex is still not “okay” even if there is protection. On the other hand, though this is what parents want their children to learn from sex education for teens, still some circumstances are inevitable. With the huge impact of peer pressure, suggestive images shown on the internet, books and magazines, sexually themed movies and other sources have on the teenagers of today, they can still be easily swayed due to their lack of maturity and experience.
In addition to that, though parents want all these things be taught to their children, they must also find time and do a follow through with their kids. They can do this by constantly asking questions and also provide helpful answers to their kids when they need it. Parents must not depend fully on what their kids learn from school, they must make themselves always available for their children and be willing to guide them in every step of the way. Also, parents must act what they teach and serve as role models for their children. By doing all these, children will grow up to be responsible and mature individuals who are capable of acting responsibly and gain self-control when compromising situations arise.
Tags: about teens and sex, sex education, Sex Education For Teens, teens and sex education, teens sexual awareness
