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Many teens are becoming parents, some as young as 10 years old. Parents need to realize that telling your child to not have sex isn't going to stop it. Abstinence is becoming a forgotten concept. Peer pressure and early maturation are strong reasons why a child has sex.
Tips for helping children avoid teen pregnancy include:
1. Love them. Let your child know that you love them and want them to discuss anything with them and to not be afraid to tell you. They need to know that you will not punish them just for asking questions.

2. Honest. Be honest with them. Why should they talk to you if you aren't going to be truthfull with them.
3. Support. Offer them support in their decisions, but go over all aspects of them including any consequences.
4. Health. Offer information on health issues such as STD's and AIDS. Pamphlets can be obtained at any Public health department. Be graphic. There are plenty of pictures out there of diseases and conditions caused by unsafe sex. Kids today believe that they are superhuman. None of them want to believe that those oozing, open herpes sores could happen to them. Boys and girls both need to be educated about the differences between consentual sex and rape. Discuss how drugs and drinking can be an issue here. Cover everything!
5. Contraception. Even the most perfect parent cannot completely control a teen. If they want to have sex, they will probobly find a way. Prepare them by discussing methods of birthcontrol. Let them know that you are not in any way encouraging them to be sexually active, but you want them to be safe. A parent who takes their son or daughter out to shop for birth control is a hero. If you can stand in Wal Mart and talk to them about the safest condoms, then you may have saved their life or given them a future.
Again, a visit to the health department would be helpful. Girls need to have a pap smear before becoming sexually active. Also they can talk to a medical professional about some things that they don't feel comfortable talking to a parent about.
6. Reality check. This works! Get together your daughter and her friends. Give each pen and paper. Ask them if they are going to school full time and get pregnant, how would they support the baby? Most say "Mom and Dad." Tell them "OH No," that they will have to help. Have them write down what they would make from a Job at a burger joint for 2 weeks. Then have them take out the cost of daycare, milk, diapers, baby wipes..etc. Ask how much money is

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