Parents and Sex Talks

According to multiple studies, it would seem that parents aren't talking with their children about sex early or extensively enough. Most parents have trouble broaching the subject at all, and can develop defense mechanisms to avoid discussing the subject at all. For example, willful naivete tends to delay the sex talk to a time far beyond when it is optimal, which is prior to an adolescent's first sexual contact.

There are also social functions that can interfere with covering the subject effectively or discussing it at all. Sex is treated as such a taboo topic in most of society that it is considered inappropriate to discuss with younger people at all, in some cases. There is also a prevailing belief that young people either don't wish to speak about sex at all, or would engage in the behavior irrespective of whether or not parents spoke with them on the subject. Both reason and statistics suggest that such assumptions are false. It assumes that adolescents are not insecure and growth-oriented while substituting assumptions that they are with the assumption that they are unreasonable and irrational. While there is perhaps a case to be made for those last two characterizations, for the most part adolescents are interested in learning about subjects that affect them, and though they do wish to be independent in their decisions, that does not mean that they will not consider input from their parents. Therefore, if a parent wishes to do what is best for their child, the best course of action is to strive to overcome the initial awkwardness of discussing the topic, and do their part to educate their children before they're forced to learn in a less than desirable way.

One major problem with this issue socially is that some families can become so blinded by their ideology that they make no contingency for reducing negative consequences if they do not achieve the desired outcome. Abstinence only education in particular is guilty of this. Such education is anything but practical, as it focuses so much on preventing intercourse entirely that it fails to make a contingency in the event intercourse occurs. Without any education regarding the safest way to have intercourse, such education makes a dangerous gamble that does not even try to minimize damage in the event that it doesn't prevent intercourse. This type of education is completely irresponsible, and fails to recognize that having a backup plan if premarital intercourse occurs is not the same as morally legitimizing the intercourse itself.