Month: August 2016

Have an open discussion with your teen about contraception and your values around first intercourse. Be sure that they understand the full implications of making such a decision at this age, the dangers of unprotected sex, and the precautions to take in relationships if they choose to be sexually active.

If your teen hasn’t been taught about the negative aspects of drug and alcohol use, they may not be equipped to make the right choice when that situation arises. Help them understand the connection between substance use and risky sexual behaviors.

Continue to support your child’s self-esteem. Compliment their whole self. Their beauty, intelligence, and talents are all quite tenuous for them right now. As they are looking more toward the future, they need frequent reminders from you about how amazing they really are.

Show and teach them what a healthy relationship should look like. Continue to educate them about consent—both for themselves and others. Teach them the role respect should play in their relationships.

Empower them to set boundaries with the people in their lives. Talk openly about sexual abuse and what they should do if it occurs, has occurred, or if they are worried it will occur.

Have discussions about how sexuality, body image, and gender roles are portrayed in the media. Include a discussion on pornography and the dangers that can come from viewing sex and relationships through that type of media.

Continue to support your child’s self-esteem. Compliment their whole self. Their beauty, intelligence, and talents are all quite tenuous for them right now. They need frequent reminders from you about how amazing they really are.

As they’re changing and growing and experiencing puberty, make sure they know what’s going on with their bodies. Teens may not ask questions, so you might need to bring it up with them.

Peers are extremely influential at this age. If your teen hasn’t been taught about the negative aspects of drug and alcohol use, they may not be equipped to make the right choice when that situation arises. Also help them understand the connection between substance use and risky sexual behaviors.

Every family has a value system. Now is the time to reinforce your family values and expectations. Younger teens often push against these value systems. Reminding them of what your values are and why you believe they are important is essential to open communication. With that said, be sure to make it safe for them to communicate with you if they choose to go against your values.

This can be very difficult to talk about, but it is imperative that you educate your teen about delaying sex as well as using contraception. An astonishing number of young teens will have sex for the first time at this age and it’s important that they know the dangers of unprotected sex, precautions they should take in relationships, and the significance of delaying sex. If your family promotes abstinence, be sure to create an environment where they will come talk to you if they choose to be sexually active. You don’t want them to hide the behavior from you.

Show them and each them what a healthy relationship should look like. Continue to educate them about consent—both for themselves and others. Teach them the role respect should play in their relationships.

Empower them to set boundaries with the people in their lives. Talk openly about sexual abuse and what they should do if it occurs, has occurred, or if they are worried it will occur.

Have discussions about how sexuality, body image, and gender roles are portrayed in the media. Include a discussion on pornography and the dangers that can come from viewing women, sex, and relationships through that type of media.

Your teen is more curious than ever about sex. They are trying to be independent and it may seem like they don’t want to have you in their life, but they need to know that you’re there for them. Be open and supportive and help them traverse this difficult time in their life.

This age is when children are especially vulnerable to what makes them different from their peers physically. Be sure you are aware of how they view themselves and encourage them to have a positive outlook of their body and their abilities.  Reinforce the importance of their whole person as it relates to self-esteem, as they may place a large amount of their self-esteem on body image alone. For example, you can compliment your child on their talents, their work ethic, as well as their looks.

This may seem young, but many adolescents start drinking or smoking at age 12 or 13. You want to address this with your child before it becomes an issue.

There are a lot of physical and psychological aspects of puberty that you will want to share with your child. Armed with the proper education, they’ll feel less overwhelmed by all the changes occurring and be able to make sense of this confusing time of life.

Model for them what a healthy relationship should look like. Continue to educate them about consent—both for themselves and others. Teach them the role respect should play in their relationships and in practicing consent.

Let them know that they are allowed to set boundaries with the people in their lives. Talk more explicitly about sexual abuse and what they should do if it occurs, has occurred, or if they are worried it will occur. This can be a rather difficult topic, but it’s imperative that you address it openly with your child at this age.

This goes well with both consent and setting boundaries, but you want to empower your child to stand up for themselves, especially when it comes to their physical and emotional well-being.

This may include discussions about how sexuality, body image, and gender roles are portrayed. For example, you could address the way that women are often treated in advertising, on TV shows, and in movies. It should definitely include a discussion on pornography. It’s within this age group that most children are exposed to their first pornographic images.