Teen Parenting Help - Relationships & Sex

 

A major struggle about teen parenting is deciding on what stand you are going to make when it comes to your teen being involved in relationships (especially sexual relationships). While talking to most teen parents about the biggest step in their child’s development, the vast majority say when their teen starts dating.

It is important to sit down with your child at an early age and explain that they are going to begin developing feeling for the opposite sex and a time will come when they may become interested in dating. You do not need to go into detail about the nature of sex and whatnot because almost all teens will have already learned this through school and other reliable mediums and the topic may turn them off from the message you wish to deliver later.

A stand that has proven to be successful time and time again is not to encourage your teen either way but rather just give them the straight facts and be supportive of their decision. Explain to your teen that dating can be a very tough process to go through but can also be very rewarding. As well, explaining to your teen the true values of a good relationship can be very helpful because the media they are immersed in often provides a slandered and disturbing view on relationships.

Try to become involved in your teens relationship without seeming overbearing. Get your teen to invite their partner over for a family BBQ or buy an extra baseball game ticket and encourage that your teen’s boyfriend/girlfriend joins you. This can help you get to know your teens and help you to not only understand your teen better, but can help you offer assistance to your teen when problems in the relationship arise.

One of the worst things you can do is bar your child from relationships completely until a certain age or event. Unless religion is a factor in this decision, your choice to bar a relationship is often motivated on fear and not fact. You can’t change your teens feeling towards the opposite gender and simply by barring them to act in a way that is natural and helpless in stopping, you are encouraging them to rebel against their and your will.

When your teen begins to become involved in a serious relationship it is time for you to sit down with your teen and discuss sex. It is important to not sound preachy when doing this and to talk on an equal level with your teen. Warm them about the dangers of unprotected sex and ask them if there is anything you can do to help them become responsible and prepared (condoms, birth control etc.). If you are open and on equal, fair terms with your teen they are more likely to come to you when there is a problem which may be enough to save them from serious harm.