If You Don’t, Who Will?

A recent news article stated one in 6 teen moms didn’t think they could become pregnant.

Can you think back to when you were a teenager?  Do you also remember where you got your information about relationships, sex, and STDs? Most of us remember it coming from school and our peers. If our parents mentioned it, some of us probably told them to stop or our embarrassment tuned them out!

Tweens and teens today are much different than 20 years ago. If you have children in this age range, you have probably witnessed their embarrassment when you talk to them about these sensitive subjects. So whom do they listen to if they aren’t comfortable hearing it from us? Peers, teachers, social media sites, TV or radio? No doubt it’s ‘ALL THE ABOVE.”

A day in the life of a tween or teen is spent mostly in a controlled classroom and then when the bell rings, the ITouches, MP3 players, and cell phones turn on! They sing in the car, text their friends, watch music videos on YouTube and follow their favorite artists on Facebook and Instagram.

If you keep up with American Top 40, you know that Rihanna, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, LMFAO, and Flo Rida are  most popular this week. Do you feel these artists have a responsibility to think about the younger generation ‘learning’ from their lyrics? There has been much Twitter talk about Jay-Z censoring his lyrics now that he has had a baby. The audience is split-some support the rumors that he will alter his lyrics and others don’t want his music to get ‘soft’. Recently, HBO actor and upcoming rapper, Tray Chaney, released a song entitled ‘Fatherhood.” In the lyrics he says, ‘I’d rather die than be that guy.”He wants more young adults to understand the meaning of fatherhood and seriousness surrounding their paternity responsibilities.

Basically, the opening statistic should motivate us to keep conversations open, often and real with our youth. The library has many books on the human body, human sexuality and pregnancy and childbirth. The American Academy of Pediatrics is also a good place to start. Good luck to us all! Knowledge is power.