Teens’ Take On Sex Four-Part Series On Ksps Lets Kids Explore All Sides Of The Issue
Sex is a delicate and potentially embarrassing issue for both teenagers and their parents. But given the fact that the most recent Spokane County Health District numbers available show that 1,069 Spokane County teens became pregnant in 1995, it’s time for some serious conversations.
One message teenagers in a video series produced by the Washington State Department of Health want their parents to hear is that talking to your teens about sex is important, even if they don’t seem to be paying attention. The four-part series, “Parent Alert: Talk With Your Teens About Sex” will air on KSPS starting Saturday.
In the series, teens talk candidly about sexual pressures and experiences and how parents can best connect with their teens. The teens and parents in the series were recruited from the Puget Sound area and represent several different viewpoints.
“Keeping the lines of communication open during the teen years is the most important thing we can do,” says moderator Tony Silvestrin of the Seattle King County Department of Public Health.
The moderators advise talking to your teen during the middle school years, when their sexuality is beginning to emerge. Lecturing doesn’t work, the videos stress. Instead, parents should seize on “teachable moments” such as watching a sexuality-related television news story with their teen, then discussing it.
Here’s a look at the series:
Program 1 - Peer Pressure.
Teens are under pressure not only from their parents, but from their peers - and themselves. Teens urge their parents to keep trying to start a conversation even if they don’t seem to be listening. They say it lets them know their parents care and are available when they do choose to discuss it. Parents also offered advice to other parents: pick your battles. Making an issue over everything can lead to communication breakdowns.
Program 2 - Talk with Your Sons.
During middle school, male hormones really take off. Boys are often puzzled because girls don’t seem to think about sex as often as they do. Boys want sex, but don’t really know much about it and find the whole thing mystifying. Of course, they don’t want to admit that, or even that they’re thinking about it.
Given these circumstances, the teenage boys on the video say that it is very important for one of their parents, preferably their father, to take the initiative and begin a conversation about sex.
Program 3 - Talk with Your Daughters.
Teenage girls want parents to understand that they want to have boyfriends, experience romance, and fit in. It’s tough to decide when to have sex and girls often receive confusing, mixed messages from society. If a girl has grown up in a home where sexuality is not discussed, it is often hard to ask for advice.
“Close family relationships, strong self esteem, a commitment to school, and goal-oriented lives are the big factors in postponing sexual activity and preventing teenage pregnancy during the middle-school years,” says moderator Laura Kastner, a clinical psychologist at the University of Washington. “Often what middle-school girls are seeking in relationships with boys is love and connection, not sex.”
Program 4 - Reducing the Risk.
Teens often see themselves as invincible, but this video, with frank talk from teens who have contracted a sexually transmitted disease, may change their minds. Several of the teens said they regretted having sex when they did. The important thing to remember is that having an STD is no longer just an inconvenience; some can lead to life-long disabilities or death.
Half of the more than 70 million people in the United States who have STDs are under the age of 25. The Washington State Department of Health reported over 554 cases of chlamydia and 127 cases of gonorrhea in Spokane County last year, along with 65 cases of herpes.
Nineteen cases of HIV/AIDS were reported in Spokane County last year, down from 30 in 1995.The number of new cases in Washington state has been steadily dropping in recent years.
Bacterial STDs such as chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis can be cured with antibiotics, but viral STDs such as herpes and HIV/AIDS cannot be cured. Any STD can be transmitted to a sexual partner even if symptoms are not apparent or non-existent.
If left untreated, bacterial STDs can lead to paralysis, blindness, severe arthritis, increased risk of cancer of the cervix, and sterility. The use of a latex condom with certain spermicides is effective in halting transmission of many STDs. Contraceptive jellies and “the pill” offer no protection.
The series stresses that parents need to listen when their children talk and validate their feelings. It is important to ask questions about their lives and to be empathetic. Parents must also be prepared to hear things from their teenager that they don’t agree with. Teenagers appreciate it when parents make a genuine effort to understand their point of view, say the moderators.
Programs will air each Saturday at 8 a.m on KSPS beginning April 19. The series will also air on Channel 16 each Monday at 6:30 p.m. beginning April 21. Each program will repeat Tuesday through Sunday at 6:30 p.m. on Channel 16.
MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: ON TV Programs will air each Saturday at 8 a.m. on KSPS beginning April 19.