It can be a shock for parents to learn that their children buy condoms but if you find yourself in this situation you should be sure there is any real need for alarm before you begin to panic. Indeed, some will say it makes a lot of sense to encourage young people to buy them if they are experimenting in relationships with members of the opposite sex. Others recommend that advising young people to postpone sexual activity is the best course of action.
If young people are found to have condoms in their possession it is usually because they sufficiently curious about it or because they are actually sexually active. As a parent you will have to make a judgement on how to deal with it. The age of the young person will have a bearing on what kind of investigations you need to make. Any child below the age of 16 is still legally a minor and you must rule out sexual abuse or illegal relations between your child and an adult.
As it is, most youngsters have their first sexual experiences with another person of their own age group. This will bring up different but no less serious issues that must be addressed. Teenage pregnancy has become a global issue and few countries can say that they do not have a problem with it. Young people having babies create problems because they are not usually independent enough to support a child. Normally, the parents of the teens or their governments have to assist which can lead to an impact on the economy.
Some advisers will advocate that you should advise your children about contraceptives early so that under age pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases can be avoided. Some parents have been known to actually purchase condoms on behalf of their children.
Those who argue in support of encouraging young people to think about safe sex practices believe that prevention is better than a cure. They say It is not realistic to expect youths of today to resist the massive onslaught of sex promoting messages they receive from the media. Peer pressure is also an enormous challenge that most young people will find it hard to withstand and therefore are coerced into sexual activity.
However, there is a strong lobby who disagree entirely with arming young people with condoms as a solution to tackle problems. They advocate abstinence as the only meaningful answer. Research seems to back up their position too. Studies have shown that young people are indeed affected positively by consistent and strong messages on abstinence. This is especially true when the messages come from a source that the young person respects.
The abstinence perspective charges the media to do better in sending out more positive leads to young people. Teens have enormous respect and faith in what they see on TV. It is for this very reason, it is argued, that the current problems exist because media have played a large role in the sexualization of young people.
So there is no consensus on which is the best action to take upon learning that your kids already buy condoms. Some say that teaching abstinence is the only way to true safety. Others argue that information and choices regarding contraception are the safest and most sensible route to follow.
If young people are found to have condoms in their possession it is usually because they sufficiently curious about it or because they are actually sexually active. As a parent you will have to make a judgement on how to deal with it. The age of the young person will have a bearing on what kind of investigations you need to make. Any child below the age of 16 is still legally a minor and you must rule out sexual abuse or illegal relations between your child and an adult.
As it is, most youngsters have their first sexual experiences with another person of their own age group. This will bring up different but no less serious issues that must be addressed. Teenage pregnancy has become a global issue and few countries can say that they do not have a problem with it. Young people having babies create problems because they are not usually independent enough to support a child. Normally, the parents of the teens or their governments have to assist which can lead to an impact on the economy.
Some advisers will advocate that you should advise your children about contraceptives early so that under age pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases can be avoided. Some parents have been known to actually purchase condoms on behalf of their children.
Those who argue in support of encouraging young people to think about safe sex practices believe that prevention is better than a cure. They say It is not realistic to expect youths of today to resist the massive onslaught of sex promoting messages they receive from the media. Peer pressure is also an enormous challenge that most young people will find it hard to withstand and therefore are coerced into sexual activity.
However, there is a strong lobby who disagree entirely with arming young people with condoms as a solution to tackle problems. They advocate abstinence as the only meaningful answer. Research seems to back up their position too. Studies have shown that young people are indeed affected positively by consistent and strong messages on abstinence. This is especially true when the messages come from a source that the young person respects.
The abstinence perspective charges the media to do better in sending out more positive leads to young people. Teens have enormous respect and faith in what they see on TV. It is for this very reason, it is argued, that the current problems exist because media have played a large role in the sexualization of young people.
So there is no consensus on which is the best action to take upon learning that your kids already buy condoms. Some say that teaching abstinence is the only way to true safety. Others argue that information and choices regarding contraception are the safest and most sensible route to follow.