Talking to Your Kids About Sex and Teen Pregnancy

On average, nearly half of teenagers between the ages of 15 and 19 have had sex at least once. Why exactly is this? Teenagers rebel and will do what they want when they want most of the time. But, As parents, we are our child's greatest influence. How are we to expect our children to wait until marriage to have sex, when as adults, so many live with their boyfriends or girlfriends and have children out of wedlock? I know when I was a child, I based my judgment on right and wrong on what my parents considered right and wrong. I knew when I was doing wrong. And though I did not always make the right decisions, I was aware of my actions.

Upon learning about Jamie Lynn Spears becoming pregnant, it is shocking to me how many people are not shocked by this. This "child" is the beautiful, really "cool girl" on television that our Preteen-teen and young teenagers look up to and want to become. How are we supposed to tell our own children that their virginity is something that should be saved until marriage, when a children's' television channel still airs episodes of Zoey 101 after learning of the teen's pregnancy? What we allow our children to watch on television greatly molds their minds into what kind of person they will become. We are becoming desensitized when it comes to the wrongs in the world, that we accept this as the normalcy and look upon good morals as odd. Jamie Spears's mother, Lynne, even stated that her daughter was in a "committed relationship" so that made it okay? She was allowing her 16 year old daughter to live with her 19 year old boyfriend. And this is the woman who is writing parenting books? Not only is that wrong, but it is illegal (and for a good reason). What kind of message is this sending to our children? Of course, her sister, Brittany, was not much help in influencing her. But for Dr. Phil to say that Lynne is a good mother, I no longer trust his advice. Was he paid to say that or is his judgment that skewered?