How to Talk to Your Teenager about Sex

The rates of teen sexual behavior have risen in the last few decades. Surveys indicate that 46 percent of all high school age students and 62 percent of high school seniors, have had sexual intercourse. Nationwide, that means that almost nine million teens have already had sex.If that isn't enough to get a parent's heart racing, consider the rates of sexually transmitted diseases, teenage pregnancy, and teen births. Nearly half of the 19 million new sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) each year are among young people ages 15 to 24 years. And it is young people ages 13 to 24 who account for about 21 percent of all new HIV diagnoses in the U. S.Each year, almost 750,000 U.S. women ages 15 to 19 become pregnant. Yet, emphasizing the riskiness of adolescent behavior, almost 40 percent of teenagers did not use a condom the last time they had sex and more than 75 percent failed to use birth control pills or Depo-Provera to prevent pregnancy the last time they had sex.Also, sexually risky behaviors place adolescents at risk for HIV infection and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).The conclusion you should draw from these quick facts is this: It is critical that you talk to your teenager about sex. You may recognize that you should talk to your child about sex and sexuality, however, you may - like a good many parents - feel a sense of inadequacy about how to initiate such conversations. You're certainly not alone if you feel like this. Fewer than two percent of adolescents have had sex by the time they reach their 12th birthday and only 16 percent of teens have had sex by age 15, so what this means is if you have a young teenager you still have time to talk to them and help them avoid some of the riskier behaviors of many adolescents. And that's the purpose of this book.