Fathers, don’t avoid discussions about sexual intercourse!
Has your teenager reached his or her wildest years? It’s extremely important to bring up the delicate subject of SEX.
Teenagers must leave the safe domestic environment sooner or later, but that doesn’t mean they don’t need to feel connected to the family anymore. (jlp)
Fathers respond differently to their children’s sexuality
Two thirds of Americans have their first sexual relations before the age of eighteen. A quarter of these teenagers actually have intercourse before the age of fifteen. Young people supposedly behave in a very risky way during this, so the parents are becoming stricter as a consequence. They conducted a survey at the University of Pittsburgh and Harvard University and it included 3,200 teenagers between the ages of 13 and 18. They followed their progress for four years. The young people reported each year about how much their parents know about what they’re doing, their friends. They also answered questions regarding sexuality: they also talked about how often teenagers have intercourse, the number of sexual partners and the unfortunate cases which were the result of unprotected intercourse. They found out that fathers respond differently than mothers when they hear information about their children’s sexual activities.
A youth who will miss the feeling of connection in the family will search for this in different, more or less appropriate places. (jlp)
The influence of the father becomes greater
Contrary to the well-known conviction that parents back away from their children’s life when they start having sexual relations, researchers are now discovering that fathers are becoming much more attentive about their children’s behaviour. Fathers are supposedly more active when it comes to trying to control 
their teenagers. If it ever seems that fathers can’t find their role when the child is small and needs to be taken care of, fathers are the ones who often take charge when their children become teenagers. This data is surprising because it’s totally opposite to the data from surveys done in the past.
The rise of unwanted teenage pregnancies is also the result of separating from the family at a too early stage. (jlp)
A connected family is like contraception
Being involved in family activities and feeling connected to your family are supposed to raise the age of first sexual intercourse with many teenagers. Family connectedness can potentially contribute to less risky sexual intercourse of young people. Researchers say that socializing once a day during meals can be enough. This survey sheds some light on the complexity of relationships between parents and children. Family connectedness is important in the development of children into mature adults. Early sexual activity is often connected to finding the feeling of safety and connectedness, which the teenagers don’t feel within the family circle. Having intercourse sooner and sooner and teenage pregnancies are indicators that the family isn’t fulfilling all its obligations. The survey included only families with two parents. The dynamics of relationships are probably different in every form and type of family, but the importance of the feeling of belonging and connection is the same in every family.
