January 2011 Archives
The Center for Adolescent Health and Development at the University of Minnesota National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health looked at over 5,000 adolescents and their mothers for one year. Researchers found that caring, connectedness, consistency, and clarity with teens are important-especially for younger teens.*
Specifically, they found that:
1 - When mothers reported satisfaction with their relationships with their daughters, their daughters were more likely to report that they had not had sexual intercourse. Similarly, high levels of mother-child connectedness are independently related to delays in sexual intercourse among eighth and ninth grade boys and girls as well as among tenth and eleventh grade boys. The effect of connectedness appears to diminish for older girls.
2 - Teens who feel that their mothers disapprove of their having sexual intercourse are more likely to delay intercourse. However, simply stating this disapproval is not enough. Parents must clearly explain and reinforce this message.
*"Connectedness" was defined as adolescents' feeling close to their mothers, knowing that their mothers cared for them, having open communication with their mothers, and feeling satisfied in their relationships with their mothers.
http://www.allaboutkids.umn.edu/kdwbvfc/fr_pub.htm
Specifically, they found that:
1 - When mothers reported satisfaction with their relationships with their daughters, their daughters were more likely to report that they had not had sexual intercourse. Similarly, high levels of mother-child connectedness are independently related to delays in sexual intercourse among eighth and ninth grade boys and girls as well as among tenth and eleventh grade boys. The effect of connectedness appears to diminish for older girls.
2 - Teens who feel that their mothers disapprove of their having sexual intercourse are more likely to delay intercourse. However, simply stating this disapproval is not enough. Parents must clearly explain and reinforce this message.
*"Connectedness" was defined as adolescents' feeling close to their mothers, knowing that their mothers cared for them, having open communication with their mothers, and feeling satisfied in their relationships with their mothers.
http://www.allaboutkids.umn.edu/kdwbvfc/fr_pub.htm
I've said it before, I'll say it again - Stranger Danger is a "mommy myth." Brought to us by some savvy marketers many moons ago, it has become one thing many moms worry about - when they really and truly don't have to. It's a scary idea and not much more.
The chance of your child being stranger abducted is incredibly slim. The US Department of Justice statistics of kidnapped children in America estimates that 58,200 non-family abductions take place each year.
There are approximately 75.3 million children in the United States - the chance of abduction by a non-family member is extremely rare.
Please don't get me wrong, we need to provide our kids with basic information about stranger danger and what to do if they get lost - things like don't get into a car with someone you don't know and find a mom or grandma to help you if you are lost.
We need to help them stay connected to their inner voice that tells them when someone isn't safe - we all have one. As adults (and especially women) we usually have it socialized out of us - gotta be friendly and nice! Even to that creepy guy, right?
Gavin De Becker's excellent book Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe (and Parents Sane) talks about how we can help our children and teenagers (and ourselves) get in touch with our intuition. Our intuition that tells us when someone is "off". It's happened to all of us - that guy on the elevator, the woman in the park - something feels odd, off, not quite right about them. That's your intuition talking.
The chance of your child being stranger abducted is incredibly slim. The US Department of Justice statistics of kidnapped children in America estimates that 58,200 non-family abductions take place each year.
There are approximately 75.3 million children in the United States - the chance of abduction by a non-family member is extremely rare.
Please don't get me wrong, we need to provide our kids with basic information about stranger danger and what to do if they get lost - things like don't get into a car with someone you don't know and find a mom or grandma to help you if you are lost.
We need to help them stay connected to their inner voice that tells them when someone isn't safe - we all have one. As adults (and especially women) we usually have it socialized out of us - gotta be friendly and nice! Even to that creepy guy, right?
Gavin De Becker's excellent book Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe (and Parents Sane) talks about how we can help our children and teenagers (and ourselves) get in touch with our intuition. Our intuition that tells us when someone is "off". It's happened to all of us - that guy on the elevator, the woman in the park - something feels odd, off, not quite right about them. That's your intuition talking.
Do they lie? Or is it just that some STI's are so easy to get that intercourse is not required? That's my theory. And many STI's don't have symptoms, so teens don't know they are infected.
Fun stuff. Read more here:
http://www.jsyk.com/2011/01/10/abstinent-teens-test-positive-for-stds-study-says/
Fun stuff. Read more here:
http://www.jsyk.com/2011/01/10/abstinent-teens-test-positive-for-stds-study-says/
