Safe Sex versus Abstinence

[Timothy]

For those of you that have teenage children, did you choose to teach them about safe sex or abstinence? (Or both?) Did you talk to your kids about sex, or did you leave it to your wife to talk to them about it? (Or did both of you talk with them?)

For those of you that have young children, what do you plan to teach them when the time comes?

 

[JRDeep]

I plan on teaching them a little of both. I don't want my son growing up thinking he has to succumb to peer pressure, and sleep with a ton of girls to beef up his cred. If he wants to sleep with the girl, he's gonna have to take responsibility for his actions. Wrap it up, or take everything that comes along with not doing so.

 

[CHenne]

This is a great question. I'm going to teach my kids (boy and girl) both! I don't believe in double standards so we will teach both the same. I will provide both of my kids with a form of birth control when they say they are ready. I would rather they practice safe sex then have an unwanted baby.

 

[Victor Leigh]

I don't have any teenage children now because all my children are already adults. When they were teenagers, I always taught them to abstain from sex until they were married. Life is already full of challenges and problems without having to add the extra burden of extra-marital sex. It's not as if a person is not a complete human being if he doesn't have sex.

 

[Lorenzo]

Both my wife and I already had this kind of talk with our 14-year old daughter. We told her the consequences that would arise should she choose to have sex at a young age, etc. We also told her that true love waits, so there is no need to rush. She just kept nodding her head and asked a couple of questions. I hope she learned something worthwhile from it.

As for the rest of my children, they are still young but we're planning to tell them individually when the time comes.

 

[Jonathan]

My kids are too small to teach about sex to. But when they has grown up, I think I would teach them about both safe sex and abstinence. Abstinence is always preferable, but if getting sex is your choice, you should do it in the proper and safe way.

 

[Victor]

My kids are too young right now but I plan to emphasize safe sex. I will tell them to respect themselves and not sleep with anyone for peer pressure reasons, and to wait as long as they can before becoming sexually active because it is an adult activity. However, I don't see abstinence until marriage as a necessary or even preferable choice.

 

[Jack]

We plan to teach both. Abstinence is the ideal approach, but safe sex may be a more realistic standard. Ultimately it's their choice. All we can do is present the options.

 

[Timothy]

Thanks for the input, everyone. Our son is still too young right now for this to even be an issue, but already my wife and I are talking about it, because my sister has a couple of boys that are "at that age". I think all parents would prefer their children remain abstinent until at least adulthood, if not marriage, but I think in this day and age, safe sex is a much more realistic approach to take on the matter. At least, it was for my wife and myself when we were growing up, and I think it will be the best approach to take with our son, when the time comes.

 

[Bear]

Both of my kids are still very young, but we plan on being honest with them about sex and their bodies. We tell them the proper names for their body parts, and my three year old has already asked where babies come from. We told her the truth in very simple terms of course. We will definitely be teaching safe sex around here.

 

[Jonathan]

Well, I have to agree that safe sex is a more realistic choice in today's world. Like the others said, abstinence is the ideal approach but for many people it would be hard to choose this option. For them, teaching about safe sex would be your best bet.

 

[chea]

I think it's important to teach your children BEFORE the time comes. Because once they start going through puberty it can become really awkward for them to talk about that kind of stuff. I'm not teaching abstinence to my son because I know from my experiences as a teenager, abstinence it isn't realistic. Teens will do what they will do, so I think teaching safe sex is the way to go.

 

[youngone]

I can happily exist without sex, I don't NEED constant sex. Masturbation is the ultimate safe sex, you can't get anyone pregnant and you can't contract and diseases. I will teach my son the importance of safe sex when the time is right.

 

[Hank]

I've already had this talk with my oldest. He knows we don't approve of having sex young and that we expect him to behave accordingly. But, I did show and tell about what and why too. I felt that in today's society, he would face so much peer pressure that he may slip. I'm a realist so I've taught him both.

 

[Niceness8000]

I think you have to teach both. It's going to be a fact of life that kids will be exposed to sex, and mostly the great upsides there are to it. You have a better chance to control anything bad happening if you teach them the downsides of it before somebody else teaches them first.

 

[roncar]

My girls know they can talk to their mom and myself about anything, even sex. And they take advantage of this and ask questions that sometimes, as a dad, make me blush. They are 21 and 18 and still virgins (thank you God). They both went to Catholic school and took a pledge to remain abstinent until marriage.

My oldest wears a special ring she calls her abstinece ring, and she wears it as her promise to God. She told me her viginity will be a gift to her husband on their wedding night. That makes me proud to hear.

My youngest is funny. She says that she's seen pictures of penises and they scare the Hell outta her. I thought that was hilarious. She says that even when she gets married, she is going to be afraid to even look at her husbands. LMAO

Now, I'm not naive enough to think that with the right boy (neither of them have really been in a relationship yet) things could get out of control if the situation were right for them. So I have told them both that they had better make sure the guy they choose to have sex with had better be protected as well as them. They both still insist is isn't going to happen. We'll see.