As kids grow up to teenager they are faced with a lot of body changes and therefore have to make a lot of important decisions about relationships, sexuality and sexual behaviour. This behaviour have an impact to their lives.
Given at this time the teenagers are not sure and might as well realise what they are going through, it is therefore the responsibility of the parents and society to guide their teenagers so as to lead a healthy sexual life. Comprehensive sexual educational is therefore important.
Most parents avoid this topic with their children because it feels inappropriate. Well, let's face it, lack of giving sexual education to your teens could be disastrous.
This is what you should do.
Instead of telling your teens to avoid engaging is sex, guide them in how to engage in safer sexual relationship. Note that the teen has a lot of questions and asking them not to engage in sexual behaviour is not going to answer their questions. At this stage teens tend to be rebellious and they are going to engage in sexual behaviour seeking answers.
This is what you should, you should give your child a Compherensive sexual education so as to understand what they are going through to lead better sexual life.
What is Compherensive sexual education?
Sex education is the provision of information about bodily development, sex, sexuality, and relationships, along with skills-building to help young people communicate about and make informed decisions regarding sex and their sexual health. It should include information about puberty and reproduction, abstinence, contraception and condoms, relationships, sexual violence prevention, body image, gender identity and sexual orientation. Sex education should treat sexual development as a normal, natural part of human development.
Why is sex education important to young people?
- Avoid negative health consequences. Each year, a lot of girls get pregnant globally in which 82% were unintended. Teens contract HIV and AIDS while others get infected by STI's. Sex education teaches young people the skills they need to protect themselves.
- Communicate about sexuality and sexual health. Throughout their lives, people communicate with parents, friends and intimate partners about sexuality. Learning to freely discuss contraception and condoms, as well as activities they are not ready for, protects young people’s health throughout their lives. Delay sexual initiation until they are ready. Comprehensive sexual health education teaches abstinence as the only 100 percent effective method of preventing HIV, STIs, and unintended pregnancy – and as a valid choice which everyone has the right to make. Dozens of sex education programs have been proven effective at helping young people delay sex or have sex less often.
- Understand healthy and unhealthy relationships. Maintaining a healthy relationship requires skills many young people are never taught – like positive communication, conflict management, and negotiating decisions around sexual activity. A lack of these skills can lead to unhealthy and even violent relationships among youth: one in 10 high school students has experienced physical violence from a dating partner in the past year. Sex education should include understanding and identifying healthy and unhealthy relationship patterns; effective ways to communicate relationship needs and manage conflict; and strategies to avoid or end an unhealthy relationship.
- Understand, value, and feel autonomy over their bodies. Comprehensive sexual health education teaches not only the basics of puberty and development, but also instills in young people that they have the right to decide what behaviors they engage in and to say no to unwanted sexual activity.They need to learn that consent is vocal and not colourful.This is because following signs can be quite misleading. Furthermore, sex education helps young people to examine the forces that contribute to a positive or negative body image.
- Respect others’ right to bodily autonomy. Eight percent of high school students have been forced to have intercourse, while one in ten students say they have committed sexual violence. Good sex education teaches young people what constitutes sexual violence, that sexual violence is wrong, and how to find help and resources if they have been assaulted.
- Protect their academic success. Student sexual health can affect academic success. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has found that students who do not engage in health risk behaviors receive higher grades than students who do engage in health risk behaviors. Health-related problems and unintended pregnancy can both contribute to absenteeism and dropout.
The Bottom line.
All young people need comprehensive sexual health education, while others also need sexual health services.Young people have the right to lead healthy lives. As they develop, we want them to take more and more control of their lives so that as they get older, they can make important life decisions on their own.
