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"Mom you're not going to believe it! Dakota Little is pregnant!", my twelve year old daughter Lilly announced as she bounded in the back door . I was shocked to say the least! Dakota and Lilly had been in preschool together! They shared the same birthday and friends! I knew Dakota's parents and we were friends!The girls had just started junior high this year! Sex? What twelve year old was having sex?

This is a scenario that is becoming more and more common in the United Sates. The percentage of teen-aged pregnancy is once again on the rise and it that isn't bad enough teen Mothers are mote likely to abuse drugs and alcohol.Talking to you children about sex and drugs should start early. When kids are old enough to ask about the things that they here at school about sex and drugs it time to start talking because you want your kids to have the right information and sometimes waiting for health classes to tell them for you is too late.

There are many ways to talk to your child and if you think it's embarrassing for you it's even more embarrassing for your child.When your child starts asking questions go to your local library and get age appropriate books.Read them together and show your child that you are interested not only in their questions but it their lives.This helps to create a bond with your child so that when peer pressure to have sex and to try drugs arises your child will feel comfortable enough to come talk to you first and then make good decisions.

I am the Mother of two teen aged daughters. I have been answering their questions for a long time and when the oldest one was considering having sex she came to me. I took her to my gynecologist and we were able to talk about abstinence and contraception. I wasn't telling my daughter that it was "Okay" to have sex. I wanted her to know that by making an adult decision to have sex that there were also adult responsibilities that came with that decision. Part of having sex is being responsible not only as a teen ager but as a parent as well. If I didn't have an open line of communication with my children I wouldn't feel as if I had done my job as a parent in preventing the use of drugs and yet another teen pregnancy.While I have told all of my children that their Father and I would prefer that they remain abstinent we were also teens once too.

I was a teen Mother and I do not want my children to follow in my footsteps. As a parent I feel it is my responsibility to arm my children with as much knowledge to make informed decisions. I want to protect them not only from pregnancy but from deadly sexually transmitted diseases and diseases that are spread from drugs and sharing needles. If our children have knowledge then they also have the freedom to make the best choices possible!

Learn more about this author, Carla Shaffer.
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