How Can Parents Prevent Teenage Pregnancy

The prevention of teenage pregnancy has gathered great importance today, with many parents and other responsible adults wanting to prevent their children from becoming pregnant before they are grown up. Here are a few tips for parents to help their children not to become pregnant early.

Ways to help your children prevent teenage pregnancy:

a) It is first very important that you be clear about your own sexual values; you need to think over and decide what you think of teenagers who are sexually very active and becoming parents. You also need to understand that teaching your children to set limits in a relationship would encourage them to abstain from sex.

b) Parents need to understand that though children show little interest in matters like these, they need a lot of communication, guidance, and information about these issues. Regular communication will ensure that you do not miss of discussing these issues and your children are well informed.

c) Parents can prevent teenage pregnancies by communicating specifically and often to children early about sex; the conversation should be honest, open and respectful. If you have difficulties of how to start, you could start off with a show on TV or a movie. Make the communication 2-sided; tell them what you feel and hear their point of view and correct misconceptions. Clearly indicate to them that love is different from sex and the downside of sex is unplanned pregnancy.

d) Friends play a strong influence on each other, so it is best to encourage that your children have friendship with children whose families share the same values as you do. It would help to meet up with your child’s friend’s family to establish common rules and expectations.

e) Supervise and monitor your kid’s whereabouts as a parent; also have an open, respectful family discussion to establish rules, curfews and standards of expected behavior. This would help prevent them from trouble of an unwanted teenage pregnancy.

f) Next encourage group activities among adolescent children and do not allow them to have a one-to-one dating before the age of 16. These strong feelings should be made known to children throughout childhood.

g) Encourage your children to take school seriously and set up high goals for performance in school. It would help to be attentive to a child’s progress in school as failure in school is often the first sign that leads to trouble like teenage parenthood.

h) Most teenagers would delay sex, pregnancy and parenthood if they are able to see other attractive options for the future that parents could help set and achieve.

i) It is important for parents to talk to their children about the programs they watch; it would help to encourage children to talk critically about the programs they watch and music they listen. It helps to also make your views well known and control your home environment. 

j) Last but most important parents should strive for a relationship that is warm in tone, firm in discipline, and rich in communication. Start improving your relationship with your child without undermining the great need felt by children to have their parent’s guidance, approval and support.

These ways should definitely help parents prevent teenage pregnancy.

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