Handle the issue of adolescents and sex with sensitivity and tact

A topic of teen health which many parents are not comfortable discussing with their children is sex.

In today’s world more and more adolescents are becoming sexually active. The attitude of people in different societies varies markedly.

While in the developed countries premarital sex is widely accepted, in conservative countries like India this is strongly opposed. It is not easy to be judgmental about this.

I personally feel it is better to avoid premarital sex and confine it to the boundaries of marriage-if not from a moralistic point of view, at least from a safety point of view.

Girls in general are emotionally unstable and get carried away by sweet talk. Many become victims of blackmail and cheating. Many adolescent girls have become pregnant before they are physically mature to sustain pregnancy and suffered from physical and psychological complications. Teen pregnancy is highly undesirable.

Some resort to abortion which is not totally devoid of complications. Though sex education is being imparted in schools in many countries, parents should also discuss this with children.

It is important to make adolescents aware of the dangers of uncontrolled sex. In this context it is very important to understand that condoms do not provide absolute protection against HIV infection. It is imperative to teach teenagers that sex is just one aspect of life.

Undoubtedly it is an important aspect of life but how important a person thinks it is depends on his attitude to life. Just as a child is enamored of toys, a young adult is often preoccupied with sex and tends to think that it is everything in life. As he grows older and matures he gives much less importance to it.

Being able to control the sexual urge and channel the sexual energy helps a man to lead a balanced life. A man who has no control over his sexual urge becomes worse than a beast. It leads to so many crimes and social disturbances.

As an expression of love it is beautiful. But devoid of love it is highly destructive. Sex with love is human; sex without love is demonic and love without sex is divine. Hence it is critical to have a holistic approach to teen health.

Today’s average man thinks that life is nothing more than satisfying his sensual desires. This attitude is responsible for many problems of the world. Man should give equal importance to the spiritual dimension of life. What sets man apart is the presence of higher centers of brain.

Only when a man utilizes the higher centers, he does justice to his human life. Other functions are common to lower animals. In human beings the brain accounts for 2 percent of the body weight while in all other animals it is less than one percent.

Another feature of the human brain is the neo-cortex the part responsible for higher functions like abstract thinking. Hence spiritual health should be considered as an important aspect of teen health.

Parents should regularly spend time with their adolescent children, listen to them, accept their feelings and help them to achieve what their want.

A sympathetic attitude towards their sexual urge and feelings helps in gaining their confidence and establishing rapport. They should join parents’ groups and exchange ideas to improve their knowledge of problems of adolescents.

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