When teaching your child about sexuality, why not accentuate the advantages of delaying sexual intercourse instead of harping on the potentially adverse consequences? You might begin by acknowledging that physical intimacy between two loving adult partners is beautiful and joyful, while also warning about the perils of experience that comes too early. Why wait? Researchers in New Zealand interviewed nearly one thousand young people, all in their midtwenties, about their first sexual experiences.

This fact sheet offers practical actions for parents to help strengthen their efforts to engage positively with their teens and to have meaningful discussions with them about sex. This information complements other available parent resources by emphasizing the importance of talking with teens about sex and healthy relationships. Parenting a teen is not always easy. Talking with teens about sex-related topics, including healthy relationships and the prevention of HIV, other sexually transmitted diseases STDs , and pregnancy, is a positive parenting practice that has been widely researched. Following are some actions and approaches parents might take to improve communication with their teen about these challenging, hard-to discuss health concerns. Your teen may be getting messages about sex, relationships, and the prevention of HIV, STDs, and pregnancy from a variety of sources, including teachers, friends, health care providers, television, and social media. Some of these messages may be more accurate than others.

For teenagers, good friends can be like a personal support group. Friends and friendships give teenagers:. Teenagers might be focused on their friends, but they still need your help and support to build and maintain positive and supportive friendships. Good parent-child relationships tend to lead to children having positive relationships with peers. So being warm and supportive, staying connected and actively listening to your child can help him develop friendship skills.

Everyone needs to belong — to feel connected with others and be with others who share attitudes, interests, and circumstances that resemble their own. People choose friends who accept and likethem and see them in a favorable light. While many families help teens in feeling proud and confident of their unique traits, backgrounds, and abilities, peers are often more accepting of the feelings, thoughts, and actions associated with the teen's search for self-identity.