In today’s world, parents need to be aware of the pressure their tweens are under to have sex before they are ready. This can be a disastrous choice, having a devastating impact on a young person’s mental and emotional development in addition to the other possible consequences. Fortunately, by being aware of the ways our children are encouraged to engage in sexual activity, it is possible to counteract this message.
Zion Educational Systems provides help for troubled teens and can be reached at 866-471-8579.
How Your Tween Is Being Inundated With Encouragement To Behave in a Sexual Way
1 – Media messages – Today’s media is highly eroticized, and depicts intimacy as a casual action that is cool and has no consequences. Eleven and twelve year olds absorb this message and attempt to apply it to their own lives, not realizing that real life is totally different from what is portrayed on TV. It is important for parents to help susceptible children to realize that the messages they absorb from television are not an accurate reflection of the real world.
2 – Peer pressure – The opinions of peers can have a tremendous impact on humans at that age. Because they have not yet fully developed their own identity, tweens are particularly susceptible to pressure from friends. When friends begin having sex, they may be pressured to act in the same way. This factor in sexual behavior among young persons in particular should be carefully monitored by parents, as preventing school age children from spending time with the wrong friends can really make a big difference.
3 – Hormone based confusion – As tweens go through puberty, they will have a number of hormonal changes taking place within their bodies. This can be a confusing process and may make pre-teens think that they are ready to behave in mature ways that they are not yet ready for. However, the truth is that even after a young boy or girl has matured physically they still have a great deal of growing up to do. This means that they are not mentally mature enough to handle the responsibilities that come along with a mature sexual relationship.
4 – Lack of good information – In many places, these vulnerable-aged children will not have been provided with any sex education. When parents don’t make up for this lack of information, tweens can begin to make poor choices without fully understanding the impact of their actions. Providing helpful and accurate information can make a big difference in the choices that kids make.
