The relationship between parent and child is one of the most rewarding and challenging parts of life. We all want to have healthy, happy children, but sometimes it can be difficult to know how to help our children be healthy, happy teens. Often, parents think that when it comes to their child’s sexual decisions, their opinions don’t matter. Luckily, that’s not the case! By talking with your child, you can influence your teen to make good decisions about sex, love, and relationships.

No one wants their child to be among the:

• More than 820,000 teens who become pregnant
  each year »1
• Over 3 million teens who annually contract a sexually transmitted disease/infection (STD/STI) »2
• Thousands of teens who experience worry, regret, heartbreak, or depression as a result of early sexual activity.

Talking with your child about his or her sexual choices early and often is the best way to help your child have the greatest future possible. Establish open lines of communication and emphasize the benefits of abstinence. This will protect your child from some of the pitfalls of his or her teen years.

Teens today want their parents to talk with them—and listen. Teens tell us, and studies show, that parents are the most effective teachers of sex education. It’s not merely “The Talk;” it’s an ongoing conversation. A good relationship, clear expectations, and a recurring dialogue between you and your teenager can be the most effective way of delaying his or her sexual activity and building a lasting relationship with this emerging adult.

This website can help you get started by giving you the necessary tools for beginning the conversation with your child. Then, it’s up to you. Remember, a less-than-perfect attempt to communicate with your child is better than not talking at all.

This website is supported in part by project no. 1 HID MC 00908 from the Community Based Abstinence Education Program, MCHB, Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services. For more information about this program, click here: http://www.mchb.hrsa.gov/programs/adolescents/abstinence.htm

»1 National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, www.teenpregnancy.org “Why Care?” 2004
»2 Centers for Disease Control “Tracking the Hidden Epidemics,” 2000