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Are our teens becoming more sexually active at a younger age? That is the question we need to ask. Children these days are hitting puberty earlier than the previous generations as they are better nutritioned. So, they start to become sexually curious and want to try out new things.
In a recent survey conducted by Aoxiang Counselling Service in 2005 the results showed that as many as one-third of 1,500 students aged between 13 and 14 said they are already having sex. This is a rising cause of worry among parents. So, to curb this this worry, parents should start early. They should educate their children about sex early, so that later on in life, their children do not engage in sex beofre marriage (premarital sex) or sex at a very young age.
For example, when Timothy Tan turned 12 two years ago, his father booked a room at a hotel for a day so that they could talk about sex and all the puzzling questions that come with it. His father, Mr Alfred Tan, is the executive director of the Singapore Children's Society. He consciously sets aside that time to signal to the child about how seriously he views issues concerning sexuality. Just as any parent would tell their children not to take drugs or to steal, they should also make the right judgement when it comes to sexuality. If you do not set the ground rules early, someone else will, such as the internet.
But these issues are not just about having sex or the mechanics of how to have a baby, but the sexuality of the child, which means the erotic significance of the child's identity, relationships and behaviours. Parents set the social, religious and moral standards for the child, so their attitudes towards intimate relationships and how they behave in such relationships says alot.
So parents should treat the issue of sex in a relationship as part of building your child's life skills and keep it fun and non-threatening. And they should also tell the child early that they would prefer him not to have sex before marriage. If you can do this, then, you can broach the subject again later because the trust level as already been built.
So, the key to a child's sex life starts with the parents and how they teach their children to view sex and how they would want it to be for them.
