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From: whitehur@tymix.UUCP (Pamela K. Whitehurst)
Newsgroups: net.kids
Subject: Re: teens
Message-ID: <679@tymix.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 3-Mar-86 21:52:58 EST
Article-I.D.: tymix.679
Posted: Mon Mar  3 21:52:58 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 5-Mar-86 06:47:20 EST
References: <2009@uwmacc.UUCP>
Reply-To: whitehur@tymix.UUCP (Pamela K. Whitehurst)
Distribution: net
Organization: Tymnet Inc., Cupertino CA
Lines: 49

In article <2009@uwmacc.UUCP> brownj@uwmacc.UUCP (jan brown) writes:
> Our sixteen year old and her boyfriend seem to be getting
> "very close".  I don't want to see her get pregnant.  I'm
> worried but don't know what to do.  Should I talk to her about
> birth control?  

Yes, very carefully.  You don't want her to get the impression that
her parents expect her to have sex.  You do want her to realize that if
she has sex in the next 40 years without taking precautions then she
will get pregnant.

> If so, how?

I have been trying to come up with a discussion based on the fact that
sometime in the next few years my daughter, (and yours) will be  in a
situation where sexual intercourse is a possibility. I can tell her
my views, and the reasons I have them. (And definitely will!) But,
she, and her partner, will be the ones who say 'no' or 'yes'.
It may be a long time before she decides she needs this information,
but I would rather she has it years ahead of time than an hour late.
I intend to tell her what I know about different forms of birth control,
their drawbacks and  effectiveness, to provide her with printed material
that she can keep until she is ready to read it, and to talk about where 
she can go to obtain birth control supplies and what type of
questions she can expect them to ask. 

Right now, the hardest part looks like what to do if parental permission 
is required in order to obtain birth control supplies.   Do I give her
permission ahead of time and risk loosing out on a chance to talk with her
when she is actually making an important decision, or do I have her
let me know when she needs it and risk her not being ready to
talk and taking a dumb chance?

I think I have a couple more years to think about this.   She has actually
been introduced to the idea of birth control.  The grade school had
information available to sixth graders, and the junior high
had some talk about it in the sex-ed films.  A one-on-one discussion
is still the best.  

-- 

     P. K. Whitehurst 
hplabs!oliveb!tymix!whitehur

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