We see it in books, television shows, and movies. It’s in magazines, music, and advertising. Our kids are bombarded with sex everywhere they turn, especially online. We need to talk with our pre-teens and teens sooner rather than later and arm them with courage and knowledge.
Talking about sex with one’s pre-teen and teenaged kids is often a dreaded milestone; it can be awkward and lead to tough questions. But avoiding “the talk” can have life-altering consequences.
That’s why the Pregnancy Resource Center of Grand Rapids has created a new, Biblically-based video series and study guide to encourage and empower parents to have healthy, ongoing conversations with their kids about love, sex and relationships.
The Whole Sex Talk™ is based on more than 20 years of teaching a similar program in public and private schools and churches throughout West Michigan. The six-part multimedia series is science-based and uses short films, brutally honest parent and teen testimonials, expert panel interviews, personal testimonies and more. The program can be used individually, as a couple and family, and in a small-group setting.
“Parents are the most influential force in their children’s lives, and a strong relationship with your kids – one that is open and honest – is some of the best protection that you can provide for their long-term well-being,” Pregnancy Resource Center CEO Jim Sprague said. “The Whole Sex Talk helps parents overcome their fears and equips them with tools to tackle this tough subject in a loving, life-affirming way.”
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that nearly 20 million new sexually transmitted infections occur every year in the United States; half of those new cases are found in young people aged 15-24(1). The good news is that parents are still the No. 1 influence in a teen’s sexual decisions(2).
When the message from parents is combined with a solid sexual-risk-avoidance program in the school, students have more opportunities to succeed in relationships and academic goals(3). [Corresponding references cited below.]
“Teens are bombarded daily with sexual topics and messages through social media and their peers, and parents are often ill-equipped or feel unable to answer tough questions. The Whole Sex Talk is an in-home curriculum for parents to help steer their children toward healthy decisions,” Pregnancy Resource Center Education Director Natasha Mueller said.
The Whole Sex Talk™ DVD set, study guides, and streaming videos are available at www.thewholesextalk.com. Watch the trailer here: vimeo.com/190916274.
“For our young people, sex can wait – but ‘the talk’ can’t. We owe that to our children: to have – and keep having – the healthy and loving conversation about God’s plan for them,” Sprague said.
ABOUT THE PREGNANCY RESOURCE CENTER OF GRAND RAPIDS
The Pregnancy Resource Center is a nonprofit, life-affirming ministry serving our local Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan, community. We educate people on the options available to them within an unplanned pregnancy. Through empathic service, centered on the belief that all people matter to God and should be treated with dignity, we enable people to choose life for their unborn children and healthy lifestyles for themselves through our Willing to Wait™ sexual risk avoidance education in public schools and The Whole Truth™ in Christian / Catholic schools and churches, our medical services (pregnancy tests, ultrasounds, and STD testing and treatment), and our family support services. Learn more at www.prcforlife.org.
References / sources:
(1) National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention, “Reported STDs in the United States: 2014 National Data for Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Syphilis.” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, November 2015), bit.ly/2g6XWHo.
(2) -Albert, B. (2012). With One Voice 2012: America’s Adults and Teens sound Off About Teen Pregnancy. The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, December 2012. bit.ly/2hepzKH
(3) SRA-Works-Web.pdf, accessed November 9, 2016, bit.ly/2gP5Owz.
This article was republished with permission from Christian Newswire.
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