Where We Live: Teens and Sex
A new CDC survey shows some changes in teenager’s attitudes about sex
By Where We Live - WNPR
Published: Jun 10, 2010
Slideshow
Yanka Carrillo
Photo:Chion Wolf
Marisol Reyes-Hernandez
Photo:Chion Wolf
Dr. Mary Erdmans
Photo:Chion Wolf
Audio Playlist
Where We Live: Teens and Sex
A new CDC survey shows some changes in teenager’s attitudes about sex.
An overwhelming majority of teens now say that having babies outside of marriage is ok. That’s troubling news to researchers and health workers – who’ve been encouraged that the rate of sexual behavior among teens has actually stayed the same for about a decade.
Coming up, young women join us to talk about whether these numbers add up to what they see in their lives.
We’ll also hear from a Connecticut sociologist who’s interviewed more than 100 teen moms around Connecticut – and found some surprising results.
What do we make of changing teen attitudes toward sex?
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I think that this subject
I think that this subject about sex is very sensitive and we need to be careful about how we talk to our children about it.I have to admit that I am a happy parent which had to talk about this things when my boy turned 18 and we have a very close relationship and he didn't feel odd asking me about sex.Well I must say that I my first thought was to show him a Wow porn casette so he can understand what sex means.I was very surprised because he was very mature about it and he admitted to me that he doesn't want unsafe sex and he doesn't want a child until he can support him.
Anonymous Listener Email
I'm the parent of an 18-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl. We discussed this news report at the dinner table. Even though my kids are not sexually active and don't want to get someone pregnant/get pregnant themselves because of their educational and professional goals, they said they did not want to sit in judgment of teen parents. So it's not that they think having a child as a teenager is a good idea, but they didn't want to be judgmental about it either. I don't know whether the demographers made that distinction in their findings.
Listener Email from Mary
Once again, an interesting program that gives me an opportunity to reflect on family and community support.
My husband and I both have sisters who are/were single moms (one ~ who was ~20 something and the other older). Our sisters were always the squeaky wheels needing attention that our parents couldn't give. As Mary Erdmann pointed out not having money was a problem prior to the pregancy, and so also afterwards.
Having a child is/was just a new chapter in behavioral patterns that tends to result in getting a lot individual attention from adults. Having spent a lifetime silently standing on the sidelines of "family" and the community that clusters around children - and watching my husband in a similar situation - the left over community resources are minimal to existential.
What about the 6 siblings mentioned by the young teen mom who was given the priviledge position of being on your program (beign a single teen mom opens up interesting new relationships)? Perhaps they ought to have been invited on the program as well? What are the repercussions to the those who do not receive the intensive attention surrounding child birth?
Perhaps if the lives/opportunities available to youth were more rewarding, less about sex and more about other challenges (environmental science?) becoming a single mom would not be so popular.
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