Thursday, July 25, 2013

Saving sex for marriage

Some days ago I published some worthwhile advice for teenagers who wanted to live an abstinent lifestyle. Here (from the same source) are some tips for parents who want to see their teenage children abstinent outside of marriage:

1. Maintain a healthy marriage and loving relationship with spouse.

2. Get involved in a healthy religious organisation.
 
3. Hang out with other families who share your values and who have children the approximate age of your children.
 
4. Use authoritative discipline.
 
5. Provide your children with warmth and emotional support.
 
6. Foster your teenager’s religious involvement.
 
7. Regulate and monitor your teen’s exposure to the entertainment media including TV, videos, movies, magazines, and the internet.
 
8. Define and explain sexual behaviours explicitly so terms, sexual concepts and words are clearly understood.
 
9. Communicate your expectations to your teen that he or she should be abstinent - but do not preach.
 
10. Implement dating rules based upon the age and maturity of the teen.
 
11. Monitor your teen’s extra-curricular activities. Know where the teen is, what he or she is doing, and how to contact the teen.
 
12. Teach teen refusal skills.
 
13. Discuss potential risk of premarital sex, but do not preach or threaten.
 
14. Encourage your teen to hang out with other teens that are abstinent.
 
15. Prepare a precocious teen for sexual advances by friends and classmates.
 
16. Help the teen make plans for the future beyond high school. Set goals. Discuss hopes and dreams for the future.
 
17. Prohibit alcohol use.
 
18. If the teen has been sexually abused in any way, get the teen into competent counselling.
 
19. Start sex education at an early age and keep the conversation running over the years of development.

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