Parents dealing with teenagers often face challenges associated to puberty such as mood swings, body image issues and some form of rebellion. Your child who once gave you kisses before hopping out of your car now openly shuns the idea of showing affection in a public setting. Perhaps the age old milestone of moving into puberty is the dreaded “sex talk” and the feeling of having that uncomfortable conversation is mutual on both sides.
Parents have used every tactic from scaring teenagers straight about pregnancy to telling cautionary tales (usually about someone they apparently knew whose life was ruined due to teen pregnancy). My parents did it the old fashioned way: they simply told me if I had sex before 18 that they would ground me for life. However, the deterrent to having unsafe sex for me really came about after watching the movie Riding in Cars with Boys.
[You Might Also Like] Heart of Vancouver: Are you an emotional chaser?
It’s important to educate our children about sex and how to make an informed decision about safe sex. Contraception has come a long way and there’s a plethora of options that will fit your needs. Trending in the news today is a report by the Guttmacher Institute showing that teen pregnancy, birth and abortion rates are at an all time low. Researchers have been tracking this data among all racial and ethnic groups in the United States since 1972.
Consider this (from the Guttmacher Institute research):
-In 2010, approximately 625,000 women younger than 20 became pregnant. About 614,000 pregnancies were among teenagers (aged 15-19), and 11,000 were among those aged 14 and younger.
-In 2010, the US teenage pregnancy rate reached its lowest point in more than 30 years, down 51% from its peak in 1990. Between 2008 and 2010 alone, the rate dropped 15%.
-The 2010 teenage abortion rate was 14.7 abortions per 1,000 women. This figure is the lowest since abortion was legalized and 66% lower than its peak in 1988.
-The largest declines of pregnancy, birth and abortion rates occurred between 2008-2010.
Image via Guttmacher Institute
[You Might Also Like] Heart of Vancouver: How Netflix betrays you in more ways than one
Increases in sexual activity among teenagers appear to be on the rise and yet fewer are getting pregnant. So what’s changed? Are teenagers opting to use contraception more than ever? Are teenagers’ attitudes on safe sex and contraception changed? More importantly, is there something happening within familial mores that have contributed to this shift?
These questions open up the door for further research on narrowing the mechanism of change for teenagers related to the use of contraception. Research growing out of this can certainly help point parents of teenagers in the right direction when it comes to education on sex. Whatever the cause of this shift is, we’re certainly heading in the right direction.
Amy Yew is a registered clinical counselor and relationship therapist. Tell us what you think and submit any questions you have to amyvancouvercourier@gmail.com. You can also tweet your thoughts on Twitter @AmyYew.
