Shaping Teen Sexuality
On a typical Thursday afternoon, at the corner coffee house, a nineteen year old bartender leans against the bar watching, and listening to her patrons. The atmosphere is calm and quiet as two different groups of females discuss their boyfriends, lovers, dating rituals, and other feminine problems. She looks a little closer, listens a little harder, and finds striking similarities. Right off the surface she notices that the two groups outwardly look similar. Short, revealing, body-hugging tops; skin-tight pants; long, high heel boots, and plenty of make-up. Both groups look very chic, very trendy. Of course one group is wearing more revealing clothing, higher boots, and more defined make-up than the other. Listening to the conversations, there are more surprising similarities. Discussions are filled with sexual undertones. "There's this new type of birth control I'm looking into, of course we're still going to use condoms for now..." "I really have to get to know the guy before I get sexual with him..." "I heard she slept with him and his best friend..." "We'll we haven't had sex yet but I've gone down on him a few times..." One of the females proudly
One might argue that lessons in safe sex are giving kids the impression that sex is ok as long as it's safe. Sixteen yea old Michael says "Well its like school and parents are preparing you for sex, but then turning around and saying well, don't do it." How well are kids actually being prepared for sex? Aside from the physical aspects of sex, lessons in Health and morality also need to be taught. More and more kids seem to be under the false impression that they are invincible. High school teacher Lisa Schaefer says, "Kids need to be shown that it can happen to them, and furthermore they have to see the reality that once they've done it, there is no going back." Although practicing safe sex is lowering the numbers of teen pregnancies and STD occurrences, it is not doing away with the emotional damage that can occur in young adolescents. Some teenagers will admit to not connecting any emotions with the physical act of having sex. These are the kids that are just having sex, because "it's something to do," because "everyone else is doing it," because "there's nothing wrong with it." To some kids, sex has become something that is somewhat statuesque. "I first had sex when I was 15...14...13..." As more time goes on the act becomes more devalued. What about those kids who put their emotions into it? These are the kids that end up getting hurt. They put all they have into a relationship and jump into sexual activity thinking it will make them closer to their partners. Those thirteen, fourteen year old kids just don't have the mental capacity to withstand the emotional ramifications involved with failed relationships. Once the relationship ends, these are the kids who experience more stresses, and grievances that weren't present before, they become guilt ridden, and lose what little if any self-esteem they had to begin with. These are the kids who learn the hard way that having sex doesn't make them "men" or "women", nor does it fulfill the emptiness that they feel deep inside. Sexual Education classes are now an important part of school curriculums. They provide guidance to those kids who slip through the hands of their parents. Although the most ideal thing to teach teenagers would be abstinence, it is not very practical in this day and age. After all when a kid is set on doing something, he/she will find a way to do it. The lesson of abstinence must be taught, but must also be accompanied by lessons in safe sex. The media and popular culture, are tw
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Approximate Word count = 1684
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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