Tips for Talking with Children About Sex

• Encourage communication by reassuring children that they can talk to you about anything.
• Listen more than you talk and think about what you're being asked.
• Don't jump to conclusions. Just because a teen asks about sex does not mean they are having or thinking about having sex.
• Give factual, honest, short and simple answers.
• Respect your child's views.
• Reassure your children that they are normal - as are their questions and thoughts.
• Teach your children ways to make good decisions about sex and coach them on how to get out of risky situations.
• Admit when you don't know the answer to a question. Suggest the two of you find the answer together on the Internet or in the library.

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Source: Advocates for Youth, www.advocatesforyouth.org

Talk Early & Talk Often (TETO) 2010 - 2011 workshop schedule is here

Would you like to attend a workshop to develop the skills you need to talk to your middle school adolescent about abstinence and sexuality?  Talk Early & Talk Often  (TETO) is a grassroots effort that will give Michigan parents the tools they need.  See if there is a workshop near you and reserve a spot today!

Dads Make a Difference

 Research shows that Dads are an important influence on whether their teenagers become pregnant or cause a pregnancy. In many ways your behavior and the connectedness that you have with your child does influence them in their teen years when it comes to them making a decision whether or not to be sexually active and use contraception.

We know that at around age 13 boys look for a male role model, and if dad is not available, they will look elsewhere. For girls, Dads are as important in adolescence as they were in early childhood. Often as a Dad sees his daughter growing into a young woman, he feels uncomfortable and backs off from doing the things he did with her when she was a little girl. A Dad needs to be the man in his daughter’s life now more than ever. Research shows that when Dads are engaged with their daughters through adolescence, girls will delay the onset of sexual activity.

Take a look at Dads Make a Difference from The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. Watch this video Ball Talk, (Watch the video) through the lens of men who are community leaders, playing basketball and talking about the issue of unplanned pregnancy. You can also learn more about male involvement by going to: http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/males/.

Don’t know how to start the conversation, what to say, or how to connect? Try this! The National Campaign has a web site with lots of information for teens www.StayTeen.org. Get on line, learn together, and share your point of view. Make this a Father’s Day that your kids won’t forget.

FAST FACTS: Dads Make a Difference

2007 Teen Birth Rate Summary

The National Center for Health Statistics has released preliminary 2007 birth data. According to this report, the teen birth rate increased 1% between 2006 and 2007. This is the second year in a row that the teen birth rate has increased. The increase follows 14 years of continuous decline in the teen birth rate. That is, after declining 34% between 1991 and 2005, the teen birth rate has now increased 5% between 2005 and 2007.

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National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

This 36-page booklet, Terms of Engagement: How to Involve Parents in Programs to Prevent Teen Pregnancy by Karen Trocolli, is full of helpful information.

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