It is my opinion it’s important for parents to be the first adults who open up the discussions about sex and drugs with their children. Don’t wait for another adult or teacher to take necessary actions to discuss these issues with them but take the initative to do it themselves.
It’s also good for children to hear it in their schools too but the parent should be the first one to discuss it with them. Children require a parent(s) who they know loves and cares for them to be the one who opens up the discussion to provide them this type information.
It’s my opinion parents should collect and distribute sex and drug educational books, brochures, literature, etc., with their children as tools for them to use to discuss these issues. Have open sessions and go through the books and brochures together to discuss every subject with them.
Don’t be shy and afraid to answer in a forthright way; if you’re not going to properly answer the question, then have your spouse do it. It’s okay to be honest and truthful with your children because they hear all about sex early in their lives from their friends and peers and most of this information is not correct.
If they’re old enough to ask a question, a parent should be effective and straightforward with an answer. If a person is old enough to ask a question, the parent should answer effectively and to the point.
When parents hide information about sex and drugs from their children and make it appear to be secretive, it causes them to be more curious, and in some cases, they’ll begin to experiment to get the proper answers. When you’re speaking with children be open, honest, and serious, because this will give them a feeling of security and draw them close in to hear you out.
Parents should also discuss with their children that sex to them is considered sacred and it’s not to be used to gain popularity, to get or to keep a boyfriend, to win contests, sold, or for any reason except for a commitment to marriage. This discussion should also include all the information about the female and male reproduction organs, menstrual cycle, ejaculation, conceiving a baby, and child birth.
Parents should discuss in-depth about veneral diseases and provide them with the different kinds and types of diseases too. Advise them abstinence is the best way for them to go but if they do not use abstinence as a form of birth control, they should practice protection not only to prevent pregnancy but for protection against veneral diseases.
Provide their children with hand-out literature and brochures describing as many of the drugs that are on the streets and how they will affect their minds and bodies too. Attend lectures about drug addiction with their children and get them as much information as possible.
Peers and friends have a big influence on children too and parents should monitor who their children are choosing to hang around with; and if they’re not the right type of person(s), get them away from them.
Parents need to trust their children but they should not allow them to have a free rein to come and go as they please. Once parents have taken these precautions, they can hope their children will abide by their teachings and become mature adults.
Sole write of this article is Barbara Kasey Smith