by Rosemary Redfern

Created on: January 10, 2009

Birth control should be available in schools because young people are not going to stop experimenting. Along with the birth control, should be expert advice on how to use it, and what the consequences are if they don't. Not all children have adults they can talk to or relate to and the peculiar ideas children develop about sex through mis information are surprising.

The sex drive is high on the list of human needs. In the teens, boys particularly are keen to try it out and not every girl will be able to refuse. While generally girls are blamed for getting pregnant, she is usually unfortunate and has possibly been pressured into having sex by the powerful urges of her contemporary males. Contrary to some people's ideas, most girls want to wait and be in love' before they take this step. Sex for most girls is a loving thing and not just a physical relief.

The behaviour of teens in any society reflects the attitudes of the adult world. It is impossible to hide from youngsters that adults have affairs, extramarital liaisons, serial relationships and any other combination you can think of.

While we are encouraged to be a moral society, advertisements use sex to sell their products. This is a subliminal message to young people that sex is something that makes you have all the things you want. Adults have to consider their actions in using sex to sell if they want to give the message to teens that a loving relationship is of value.

While most teens are convinced that adults know nothing about sex and that they invented sex, they do not usually have the maturity to understand the complexities of adult relationships. No do they realize that starting a sexual relationship, or series of them, is not straightforward.

Given that the male sexual role is to produce as many children as possible, and given the cost to females of the process in time and emotional investment, teens need support to understand something about the real issues round sex.

In the adult world there are many loving, successful fathers. Teen boys might see this from the outside but they do not necessarily understand what goes on to produce that.

Sex is a complex and confusing subject. As part of their initiation and movement to adulthood, teens need to be respected for the difficult and puzzling time they are experiencing and supported through the emotional and physical changes they have to deal with. Having said that, teens are not always the easier people to live with. Perhaps the time to start this is before puberty hits and they don't need our advice any more.

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