Article from Barbara Kasey Smith’s Corner of the World:
In today’s society abstinence is not a word we hear discussed among teenagers. Many of them do not know what the word means because they’ve never had the subject discussed with them by their parents or other authorized adults. When I was a teen abstinence was discussed with me at a young age, and I do believe, it prepared my mind and conscience to remain abstinent until I was married.
I had a religious upbringing throughout my life and I was taught right from wrong by my parent’s teachings too. I know that through their teachings and my religious upbringing the word abstinence was an important issue and it made a big impression on me as I was growing up and becoming a mature lady. I had a moral and a religious obligation to follow throughout my life and I refused to have sex with anyone because I wanted to be pure for the man I would marry. I made a decision early on in my life to remain celibate.
It was my choice and I made a pledge to myself to keep my vow. Parents need to take an initiative to sit down with their children at an early age to discuss the importance of being abstinent until they’re married. They need to discuss all of the problems that come along with sexual relationships and also the heartaches and pains associated with it throughout their teen years and into adulthood. This will prepare teenagers to know that through abstinence they will be preventing an unwanted pregnancy, social issues, and it will prevent them from contacting venereal diseases. Once a teenager begins to experiment with sexual relationships, it can cause them mental anguish and a lot of problems to play havoc in their teen years.
A sexual relationship at an early age destroys a teenager’s life and robs them of their independence and inter-personal relationships with other teenagers. It can destroy their self-esteem, self-confidence, because rumors and gossip, build hatred, and cause personality problems for them too. Teenagers who have sex on their minds on continual bases cannot concentrate on other issues in their life such as a good education; socializing and living a normal teen life; and participating in sports and other activities at school. When teenagers have had a bad experience in a sexual relationship, it has a mental impact that sometimes will remain with them throughout their lives. This can cause recurring bouts of depression and unhappiness because they want to forget their past experiences.
Parents can make a difference in their teenager’s lives by taking the time to discuss sexual issues and the importance of them being abstinence until they marry. I’ve always been thankful to my parents for the upbringing they brought to my life and I also thank God for being there for me the many times I became weak but kept solid to my vow.
The great thing about being abstinence, we have the right to say “no” and to mean it. I’ve considered my body as my temple and I’m glad I chose to commit myself to being abstinent until marriage. I know there are many temptations in a teenager’s life but they hold the key to their life and they can make their choice to remain celibate until they’re legally married to that “special man/woman” in life.
Barbara Kasey Smith is the writer of this article and it’s based on her sole opinion.