Preventing Teenage Pregnancy By Giving 'The Talk'

As a parent, sometimes you are faced with situations that make you sort of uncomfortable. One of those situations is when you have to give the talk, that dreaded talk about sex. However, this talk is extremely important. Not only will it give them invaluable information, it will also help in preventing teenage pregnancy. You are teaching them how a teenager can get pregnant and also the consequences of teenage pregnancy. This is all in the hopes that they won't engage in this risky behavior that could negatively affect the rest of their life.

When?

When should you have the talk? Anytime is a good time. In fact, there is no better time than right now to sit your child down and have that talk that will hopefully act in preventing teenage pregnancy. You don't have to schedule an appointment or even be at a certain location. Anytime you and your teenager have some free and alone time is a great time to inform them of the birds and the bees. How do you start? That's the tricky part. You know your teenager probably better than anyone else, even though you might not think you do. Just go with the flow. You'll do great and hopefully you'll make an impact that will result in preventing teenage pregnancy.

Life Changes

Perhaps you should start with the changes your teenager is experiencing. These include body changes, hormone changes, changes in urges and thoughts, and any other changes your child may be going through. At first it will probably be difficult to get them to open up but once they do, you'll find that the talk is easier to give.

Peer Pressure

Make sure you spend lots of time on peer pressure and why they should refrain from giving, as peer pressure is one of the primary reasons why teenagers engage in risky behavior. In fact, your child's ability to reject peer pressure is the most important aspect in preventing teenage pregnancy and so that should be given top billing when giving the talk. Take them through various peer pressure situations and teach them what to say and how to walk away whenever peer pressure rears its ugly head. Just realize that talking about rejecting peer pressure and actually doing it are two entirely different things. Hopefully your teen will be strong and preventing teenage pregnancy will be at the forefront of their mind whenever they find themselves faced with sexual peer pressure.