Parental Communication

Talking Parents, Healthy Teens is a program consisting of eight weekly one-hour sessions that is offered in the workplace for parents of adolescent children in Southern California. This program aims to help parents acquire the ability to discuss sexual health topics. Talking Parents, Healthy Teens uses resources such as games, discussions, and role play to teach their children assertiveness and decision-making more effectively. A study by Schuster et.al tested a sample of 569 parents their adolescents randomly assigned to either attend the program or to a no-treatment control group. Participants were assisted at baseline and again one-week, three-month, and nine-month after completing the programs. Participants were to report having discussed

Adolescents reported feeling more comfortable talking to their peers when receiving information about sex because they feel it is easier to talk to someone their age and who has had recent experience about the issues they are having (L. Smylie et al., 2008). In certain schools, like in Canada, the school incorporates reproduction, sexuality, and sexual health in the curriculum for grades Five through Ten, but comprehensive sexuality education is left to each school board which can cause inconsistent information (L. Smylie et al., 2008). The majority of these primary schools are teaching the general about sexual orientation, for example describing the process of menstruation, identifying major parts of the reproductive systems, the ability to communicate with the opposite sex and emotionally changes of puberty (L. Smylie et al., 2008). In the secondary schools they have the same concepts as the primary schools but with a little more mature topic that would fit the grade level such as describing methods of preventing pregnancy, sexuality transmitted infections, and understanding the pressure to be sexually active (L. Smylie et al., 2008). Though the information they are covering is in-depth the inconsistency shows that schools still have a while to go before sex education is consistent and effective across the board.

Teenagers ' communication with their partners on issues of sex and their use of condoms is greatly influenced by the discussions teenagers have with their parents on issues related to sex. However in this discussion, little is known about the process of parent-teenager communication with regards to the topic under discussion. Understanding what parents discuss with their children and how they discuss it may lead to a greater understanding of teenagers ' sexual behaviours. A literature review of researches done in the previous studies has been done, in order to help to identify the gaps in literature so that further researches in this area can be done.

“Adolescence is a transitional time in parent-child relationships in which children’s changing desires for autonomy can lead to unique communication challenges. Although parent-child relationships exhibit overall continuity, research generally finds an increase in bickering and squabbling between parents and children during the transition to adolescence.”(Sillars). Both parents and teens have trouble in opening communications and discussing troubles or general questions about life. Whether it is the parents misinterpreting the right moments to start conversations, or teens trying to avoid parents as a way of avoiding conflict; Both parents and teens need to find communication strategies to resolve conflicts that do not have to come up in the first place. A subject that seems to be the most awkward conversation a teenager can encounter, especially from parents, is the sex talk. It can be awkward for both the parents and the teen(s), so they tend to avoid the matter altogether.

In Millner’s study (2015), a Computer-Assisted Telephone Interview system was used to gather data from 522 parents in Mobile, Alabama on their views of sex education in public schools. To gather

The family and media are two institutions that influence one’s attitude of sexuality, and consequently sexual behaviors. Of importance is the discussion between parents and adolescents attitudes regarding sex. Interestingly, individuals begin to perceive themselves as sexual beings during the age of adolescence, yet little research has been done on sexual behavior in relation to identity formation (Chapman and Werner-Wilson, 2008). However, Chapman and Werner-Wilson found a low but significant negative correlation between parental influence and adolescent attitude regarding sex (2008). As parental influence and discussion regarding sex increased, adolescents' attitudes regarding sex became negative in tone, expressing less comfort

Many people blame the increase of teen pregnancy on the lack of education that isn’t available to our teenagers. Some say it’s the schools responsibility to provide that education and others say it is the parent’s responsibility. But, what it really boils down to be is that parents are not sure when they should start educating their children about sex and they fear it may encourage sexual activity. There is no right or wrong age to start talking about sex to your children and the risk and responsibilities that come along with having sex. Sex education can help kids understand certain things about their body and can help them feel positive about their bodies. Starting the conversation about sex at a younger age and continuing that conversation as the child grows is the best sex education strategy a parent can have. It lets parents avoid giving one big, and very uncomfortable talk when the child becomes a teenager. When a parent has the “sex

Although some parents were taught sex orientation as young adults some people express how that the sex orientation they had was “nothing but lie” (rural parent). The parent expressed they were told lies about the sexual reproduction by teacher. Also they

Many parent today are afraid to talk with their children and teens about sex and the importance of safe sex. With teen pregnancy dropping it is important for teen to know about safe sex, prevention of pregnancy and what options they have if they become pregnant. Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that “in 2013 there was a total of 273,105 babies born to teens ages 15-19 but this is a drop of 10% from 2012” (Reproductive) It is very important for parents to get involved with their teens both girls and boys, and talk to them about sex, relationships and prevention; even though, many parents are relying on our school systems, doctors, nurses and other resources, to teach our children about these topics. “Parents that get involved in their teens lives, and talk with their teens about sex, relationships, contraceptives, and child birth are having sex at a later age, more likely to use contraceptives and have sex less often.” (Parent)

Is talking about sex a bad thing? In society today it seems that people are afraid to speak about teenage sexual behavior because it is something teens are expected not to do. As if just telling teens to not have sex will just solve it all. But teenagers rarely do as they are told. Some researches would make you believe handing out condoms and enlightening teens on sex in like giving a pass to be promiscuous, but in all honesty this is not the message advocates and educators are sending. Telling teens about what happens, the emotional aftermath, and the risks involved with sex will cause them to think about it more and be more open to talking to their parents or guardians. Many of America’s young people are afraid to speak to their parents about sex because they feel embarrassed or feel like their parents will lock them away to be sure they abstain from sex, but talking about sex with people who have been through what teens are going through will help.

Communication between parents and adolescents is important when educating teens on how to practice safer sex. Roni Caryn Rabin in her article, “Why Parents Should Have the ‘Sex Talk’ With Their Children,” provides evidence as to how and why these conversations are important for healthy adolescent sexual development. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 60 percent of sexually active high school students did not use any birth control the last time they had intercourse. This article emphasizes that these numbers can be reduced if parents simply engage in a conversation with their teens about sex. Furthermore, factors such as being uncomfortable or nervous about talking to their parents and fears that parents will over react play a key role in why parents and their children do not have a safe sex talk (Rabin, 2015). Over all, Rabin stresses that this topic is important to address regularly in order to promote safe sex and healthy relationships in teens. However, after reviewing this article, there are four aspects that must be acknowledged in order to educate parents on how to engage in conversations about sex in the most effective way.

Sex Education is a controversial but extremely important topic. Yet, we are doing very little to address it. Teaching sex education in schools are essential for teens to help build a strong foundation of sexual health. Although sex education must begin at home, some parents feel uncomfortable talking about the topic with their children and they believe teaching their children about sex can end up encouraging them to engage in sexual intercourse. Due to that, parents and schools try to emphasize the importance of abstinence. Parents and schools try to teach children to never have sex until they are married. However, this program is flawed because it promotes a bias perspective. The goal of the program should be to inform and educate

Parents are men and women that come together to teach their child or children right and wrong in life. Parents play a big role in their children lifestyle and honestly it can affect the child’s future. As the child matures into a teenager they develop physically and mentally changes. One big fact a teenager faces is sex. Sex can be a very beautiful thing if taught correctly, but can also be very terrifying, especially if you do not know consequences about it. Parents often run away from the sex talk or just figure if the child takes a sex class they will comprehend better. They do not understand by taking the class it is more biology perspective than an emotional one. Another reason parents avoid this talk is because, they feel like their child is too young to understand what is happening. “To better understand the impact of parents and family communication on teenage sexual activities, research needs to consider both the content and quality of adult– youth communication.”

Parents are supposed to help guide their children through life, answer the multitude of questions they have with answers many learnt from personal experience. Parents have the ability to shine light on subjects that are sometimes difficult to discuss. Unfortunately, this is not always the case and in many instances a child would be left astray. That is, of course, if there was not a secondary source available full of the same wisdom a parent could provide. In particular, when it comes to sexual education, there are many adverse effects that could arise should that child never be given the thorough discussion that the topic surely needs. Sexual education is an invaluable part of the public school curriculum. I know this not only from my personal experience as a teen but also from the research confirming it’s positive effects on teen pregnancy.

As we all know, family plays a significant role in teens’ life as it will cause a great impact on their emotions and characters when they are still in the growing and learning stage. However nowadays, teens get neglected or feel unloved and uncared most of the times as their parents are caught up in the rat race or family problems such as divorcee. According to an article published by the Heritage Foundation, Children whose parents have divorced are increasingly the victims of abuse and neglect. They exhibit more health problems, as well as behavioral and emotional problems (The Effects of Divorce on America). On the other hand, according to a research done by the ministry of education of Singapore, slightly more than 80 per cent of parents think that it was important to broach the sexual topic, but less than 50 per cent had actually done so (Many parents shy to talk