Looking At Teenagers And Abstinence: Is It A Realistic Option?

by Jessica Whitmore

Teenagers and abstinence: Is it a realistic option? Many would say no, but the answer may actually be yes. Teens do not have it easy, the pressures they endure daily with school and friends can be overwhelming. However, they are smarter than many give them credit for, and they know that waiting before having sex is not such a bad idea.

Sex is one of the most important decisions a teenager will make. It can decide the fate of their lives with one single act. That is why so many teens are deciding to wait, despite hearing about their friends and their own sex acts, which are usually lies. Instead of admitting they are not ready for sex, many teens will lie and say they are doing it to look good in front of friends.

To help teens stick with their decision to wait for sex, many take pledges. These pledges can be to wait until they are married or just to wait until they are old enough to handle the consequences. In many cases, teenagers just want to wait for the right person and need motivation, like a pledge, to help them.

However, the benefits of being abstinent far outweigh the peer pressure. When you wait to have sex, you don't have to worry about the serious consequences that come with it. Having sex may seem fun, but having to deal with a pregnancy, baby, or a disease is not.

Just one sexual encounter can create a baby. Don't believe the myth that you can't get pregnant the first time or any of the other myths floating around. If you have sex, you can get pregnant. That is why many teens are choosing to wait to have sex, they see what a baby does to the lives of their friends and know they want more than that for themselves.

If pregnancy does not worry teens, then diseases should. Today it is not just about the common STDs, today they have to worry about HIV and herpes because they last forever. Teens need to understand how easy it is to catch these diseases, when they have sex with one person they actually are having sex with everyone that person has been with.

Today's teenagers have more choices and advantages than their parents and grandparents did as youths. That is why it is so important for them to realize how just one single sex act can change their life, for the worse, forever. Being abstinent does not mean you give up life, it just means that you are smarter and cooler than the ones who are throwing their future away on a few minutes of fun.

For effective abstinence ed help visit ampartnership.org, the leader in abstinence education lessons. They have a full line of age-specific abstinenc curriculum that is extremely effective in churches, schools, organizations and in homes, and has been proven to make a lasting healthy impression on teens regarding abstinence and marriage.