First Fruits Friday - Tell The Truth

“But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.” James 3:17

This past year at Seneca, we have seen more teen pregnancies than ever. Unfortunately, we have also seen an increase in minors going in with their parents to the abortion clinic. Our Case Manager reflects on teen parents and how parents can tell the truth to their children before they find themselves in this situation:

Today, we witnessed at least 3 teen moms enter the abortion facility. We hear most parents say, "I will support her with whatever she decides." Maybe it is me, but at 16 years of age, I really needed guidance in this area. When we meet with these teens, they say "I'm just overwhelmed." 

In Georgia, 18.2 percent of 1,000 females who are pregnant are ages 15-19. Muscogee County has healthy relationship education in the schools, but it is also good for parents to discuss these things with teens at home. They actually want guidance in this area. The question is: Do you want them to learn from their friends/social media or from YOU? There seems to be little or no guidance for the parents to follow. Here are some suggestions.

(The following is adapted from HHS.gov and the Making Caring Common Project which is part of the Harvard School of Education)

Start talking to your teen about changes to expect during puberty; your expectations for dating and how to have healthy relationships. "Research shows that adolescents who talk with parents about these topics begin to have sexual intercourse at later ages, have better communication with romantic partners and have a lower risk of teen pregnancy."

What are your family rules about dating? If you believe that your child should not have sex before marriage, tell them and tell them often. Whatever your beliefs are, say them even if your teens become uncomfortable with the conversation. Explain to them why you believe the way you do.   

My nineteen year old boys would rather be with their friends than me at this point. But, occasionally, they will bring up one of the times we spoke about relationships and begin to joke with me about it. It means they really listened. Surveys have shown that teens want open, honest conversation with their parents, and that their parents influence their decisions more than their friends do. Teach them the Christian values and why these are important.

Tell the truth, but monitor and supervise. In today's social media world, there is more sexual harassment than ever within the teen community. Teens, and even some adults, have a hard time handling this. Your kids are under intense pressure to engage in inappropriate activity. They need YOU more than ever.

We are blessed to work with teen mothers who choose to parent their children.They are all still in school on the trajectory of graduating. They have not given up their dreams and are happy about their decision to parent their babies. Our prayers are that the amount of teens entering the abortion clinic are reduced, and that talking with teens about these issues will help to prevent teen pregnancy.

If you would like to help to reduce teen pregnancy and the abortion rate that comes with this, discussions and actions can be made around this issue. What are YOUR thoughts or advice on this?

For more information on this topic click here.

For info on talking to your teenage daughters about how their bodies work and body literacy, click here.