A new study by the Rand Corporation showed that “exposure to sexual content on TV was associated with subsequent teen pregnancy.” (10/08)  Experts weighing in on this study agree that repeated exposure to sexual scripts on the screen that do not depict appropriate sexual behavior have the effect of making the indiscriminate sexual behavior seem normal (”everybody’s doing it”).  If parents are not there to block viewing of the sexual behaviors depicted on TV or to communicate their life values to their kids when these programs come on the screen, their youth will be more likely to engage in the inappropriate sexual behavior  being portrayed.  It is well researched that any increased sexual behavior in youth prior to marriage, increases their chances of pregnancy, adverse health and emotional issues.  These must then be dealt with on top of regular adolescent life:  school, sports, music, cars, dance, dating, and friends.  Set your kids up for success.  Help them to turn off the screen and tune into real relationships that will continue to assist them in making positive and healthy decisions for life.  You are their first stop…be there for them!

- Roberta Johnson, MSW (MSC, Resource Coordinator)

Your Relationship with Your Kids!

• Despite transformations in parent-child relationships across the transition to adolescence, parents remain influential in their children’s lives.”
  

• “Adolescents look to their friends for advice on fashion or music and they turn to their parents for guidance on moral issues.”

• Adolescents perceive parents as one of the most accurate sources of information about dating, compared to peers or romantic partners.

• Adolescents anticipate parents’ reactions before taking action.

• Parents’ communication of clear expectations regarding appropriate dating behaviors is likely to influence adolescents’ subsequent decisions.

• Most parents (64%) reported using dating rules, which varied by the adolescents and parents’ gender, for their 17-19 year olds. And more than a quarter of the families in this sample reported that establishing supervisory dating rules was a process that jointly involved parents and adolescents.