Healthy sex: what you need to teach your teens
It is very important that teens know what healthy sex is, and it is you who should teach them!
If you want your children to become sexually healthy adults, you will have to teach them to be. There are parents who mistakenly think that talking about sex with their teenagers can cause them to engage in risky behaviors. Nothing is further from reality. These types of conversations with parents are necessary so that in this way they can have a good sex education from home.
Today it is sad to see how many adolescents lack the resources to prevent pregnancy or sexually transmitted diseases. Many are ashamed, afraid, or anxious about sexuality . They also believe that they cannot or should not go to the adult to receive the help they need because they will be criticized or judged.
So what would your life be like if we gave teens the tools to help them be successful? For one thing, we know that accurate information about sex and access to reproductive health care makes teens less likely to become sexually active in the first place. So if they do have sex, these supports mean that they are much more likely to use condoms and contraceptives, and have a significantly lower risk of having non-consensual experiences.
It may seem counterintuitive, but parents who want to help teens become sexually healthy adults will need to catch up on sex and talk to them about it.
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HOW TO DO IT?
Support sex education
It is necessary that parents actively support sexual education in their children. Not only has abstinence education not stopped teens from having sex, it also puts teens who have sex at higher risk for sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, and even unwanted sex than those who do. healthy sex education.
The best thing that can be done for them is to help them become sexually informed and competent long before they become sexually active and then help them stay safe and informed once they start having sex.
They must understand what consent is
Adolescents need to know that sex must always be consensual to both parties. If the other person is not completely sure then it is not to have consent and they should desist from having sexual relations.
Teens should also be aware that while many people assume that the lack of a verbal “no” constitutes consent, this is not the case. Teens should be taught to clearly state their wishes and limits.
Support healthy relationships
It is important that if your adolescent child has a partner, you bother to get to know him / her. If you are worried about his relationship, tell him what you are worried about but do not object. If the relationship seems solid, then show your teen that you feel comfortable while that person is in your home. Having sex in a loving relationship is much safer than doing it sporadically.
Teach good communication
You have to make sure that your teenagers understand that they should express their limits, their likes and dislikes with their partner and that the expectation should be that both people enjoy the experience. This means that in couples’ encounters it is not only about pleasing the other, a relationship is a matter of two.
In addition, your children should also have good communication with you. In this sense, do not be afraid to talk to them about sex or make it uncomfortable. Keep an open dialogue so they can know what. With you they will always be emotionally safe.
If you think that your children are having an active sexual life, then do not hesitate to accompany them to a health center for information and tests to rule out sexually transmitted diseases.
Dr. Tabriella Perivolaris, Sara's mother and fan of fashion, beauty, motherhood, among others, about the female universe. Since 2018 she has been working as a copywriter, always bringing to her articles a little of her experience and experience as a mother and woman.