A recent survey revealed that 90 percent of parents and 84 percent of teenagers between 15 and 18 report talking to each other about sex, and that 49 percent of parents reported feeling very comfortable talking to their children about sexuality.
This marks definite progress since the brief and awkward conversation with my dad as he drove me back to college my freshman year.
The new survey was conducted by Planned Parenthood and Family Circle magazine, with assistance from the Center for Latino Adolescent and Family Health. The survey results have been released for October's Let's Talk Month, an annual awareness-raising effort aimed at getting parents and teens talking about sex and providing parents with tools for making the conversations easier and more successful.
Unfortunately, despite these survey results, recent findings by both the New York Civil Liberties Union and the Centers for Disease Control demonstrate that we must have these conversations earlier, more frequently and in more depth.
It is never too early to talk to your kids about sex. In fact, to be effective, this must be a continual conversation — not a one-time lecture. Studies show that teenagers who talk with their parents about sex are more likely to make healthy choices, like waiting until they are older to have sex and using birth control and condoms when they do have sex.
I encourage all adults with a young person in their lives and all teenagers to take on the challenge of Let's Talk Month. Information is available at http://www.uhpp.org.
BLUE CARREKER
Upper Hudson
Planned Parenthood
vice president
for public affairs
and media relations
Albany