DEAR HARRIETTE: In response to parents needing to talk with teens about sexual misconduct, are you aware of Rev. Scott Phelps’ Abstinence and Marriage Program? It is a down-to-earth curriculum for seventh through 12th graders. Many Illinois schools use the program as part of their sex education classes.
Parents are not parenting very much, so the schools must step up and parent. -- Concerned Grandmother
DEAR CONCERNED GRANDMOTHER: Thank you for sharing this program, which can be found at ampartnership.org. I do think that it is important for young people to learn about how to honor their bodies. The younger they learn this, the better off they are.
While the notion of abstinence before marriage seems antiquated for many, I do believe it is important for young people to know that it is a wise choice that they should soberly consider. We no longer live in a culture that preaches abstinence to stay out of hell, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t worth seriously contemplating.
I talk to teenagers on a regular basis and know that peer pressure is powerful. Regarding sex, often they have not talked to their parents about their values. Sometimes parents try to pressure their teens into making the choices they deem correct without having full discussions with them that address their ideas as well. I believe that exposing our young people to the importance of valuing their bodies as sacred and protecting them as such is important. When they have the knowledge and the tools to give voice to their own beliefs, they have the potential to make choices that serve them even if those beliefs are different from their friends’.
(Harriette Cole is a lifestylist and founder of DREAMLEAPERS, an initiative to help people access and activate their dreams. You can send questions to askharriette@harriettecole.com or c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.)