Drugs, Sex, Rock & Roll & Woodstock: Those are some of the tags associated with my baby boomer generation. Now, here we are 40 years later dealing with some of the same things with our own children and grandchildren. But what is so shocking is the fact that the kids engaging in these risky behaviors are getting younger and younger. Just this morning, I came across an article this morning that startled me.
The article indicates that middle school youth are engaging in sexual intercourse as early as age 12, according to a study by researchers at The University of Texas School of Public Health.
Results from this study are published in the April issue of Journal of School Health.
Researchers examined sexual risk behaviors among middle school students in a large southeastern U.S. urban public school district. The say the study shows that although most seventh graders are not engaging in sexual risk behaviors, a small percentage are putting themselves at risk.
In the study, sexual intercourse was defined as vaginal, oral or anal sex. According to their research, by age 12, 12 percent of students had already engaged in vaginal sex, 7.9 percent in oral sex, 6.5 percent in anal sex and 4 percent in all three types of intercourse.
Researchers say these findings are alarming because youth who start having sex before age 14 are much more likely to have multiple lifetime sexual partners, use alcohol or drugs before sex and have unprotected sex, all of which puts them at greater risk for getting a sexually transmitted disease (STD) or becoming pregnant.
The study found one-third of sexually active students reported engaging in vaginal or anal sex without a condom within the past three months, and one-fourth had four or more partners. The more experienced students in all three types of intercourse were more likely to be male and African-American.
So I ask you, parents and grandparents, who or what is the blame for this outrageous, risky behavior among our youth? What can be done to prevent it?
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3 comments:
I'm not surprised by this at all. What do we expect when our children are raised in front of the TV and Internet? Aside from the social issue, what about the moral issue? Too many parents emphasize popularity over virtue.
We have two generations now that have not been raised in church or in belief in the one true God, Jesus. They are lost in more ways than one.
The flip side of this, is that it 60-70 years ago it was a common and accepted practice for these teens to be married and bearing children. My husband's grandmother married at 12 1/2 and stayed married until his death, some 64 years later. It was not uncommon at all.
Pam,
When I was little I was made to go to church--whether I wanted to or not. Somewhere in the following generations, parents eased up on making their children do anything. We, instead, spoiled them as you said.
That's true about the early marriages of generations previous to us but I don't believe they checked out the merchandise before they made the purchase---so to speak.
I think it is to blame on the generation that both parents have to work to make ends meet. One way to try to bring the family back together to discuss their days, problems, etc. is over the dinner table. I'm a firm believer that if you have quality time with your family every day, these behaviors are talked about and can be "nipped in the bud," so to speak.
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