Teen Pregnancy Prevention:  Ten Tips For Parents

According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, there is a lot that parents can do to help prevent their children from becoming teen parents.  Eighty-seven percent of teens say that it would be easier to postpone sex and avoid teen pregnancy if they were able to have open, honest conversations about these topics with their parents.  But on the other hand, almost 4 in 10 teens (37%) say they haven't had a single conversation with their parents about delaying sex and avoiding pregnancy.

1.  Be clear about your own sexual values and attitudes.

• Think about your own attitudes and beliefs before the conversation.

2.  Talk with your children early and often about sex, and be specific.

• Situations on TV and movies are good conversation starters.
• These conversations should go both ways and shouldn't be a one-way conversation.
• Research clearly shows that talking to your children about sex does not encourage them to be sexually active.

3.  Supervise and monitor your children.

• Establish rules, curfews and standards of behavior.
• Monitor your kids whereabouts and make sure they are engaged in useful activities, being safe and responsible.

4.  Know your children's friends and their families.

• Look at what your child's friends are doing, it's a good indication of what your child is doing.

5.  Discourage early, frequent and steady dating.

• Dating before age 16 can lead to trouble; let your children know in advance your rules on when they're allowed to start dating.

6.  Take a strong stand against your daughter dating a boy significantly older than she is.  And don't allow your son to develop an intense relationship with a girl much younger than he is.

• The power differences between younger girls and older boys or men can lead girls into risky situations, including unwanted sex.

7.  Help your teenagers to have options for the future that are more attractive than early pregnancy and parenthood.

• The changes that your children will delay sex are significantly increased if their futures appear bright.
• Help them set meaningful goals for the future, talk to them about what it takes to achieve future plans and help them reach their goals.

8.  Let your kids know that you value education highly.

• Encourage your children to take school seriously and set high expectations and their school performance.
• Be very attentive to your children's progress in school and intervene early if things aren't going well.

9.  Know what your kids are watching, reading, and listening to.

• The media (TV, radio, movies, music videos, etc.) is full of materials sending the wrong messages.
• In the media, sex rarely has meaning, unplanned pregnancy seldom happens, and few people having sex ever seem to be married, or even especially committed to anyone.
• If certain programs, music, or movies offend you, say so, and explain why.

10.  These first nine tips for helping your children avoid teen pregnancy work best when they occur as part of strong, close relationships with your children that are built from an early age.

• Express love and affection clearly and often.
• Listen carefully to what your children say and pay thoughtful attention to what they do.
• Be supportive and be interested in what interests them.
• Try to have meals together as a family as often as possible, and use the time for conversation, not confrontation.

Remember:  It's never too late to improve a relationship with a child or a teenager.  Don't underestimate the great need that children feel, at all ages, for a close relationship with their parents and for their parents guidance, approval and support.

www.findyourreason.org

Questions or Comments?  Contact Kim Hartzler-Weakley, Program Coordinator at (540) 568-7083 or hartzlkm@jmu.edu