Advocating for Your Teen
As a parent/guardian, it is important that you are talking to your teens about sex. You are the most influential person in their life when it comes to their decision about whether they will have sex or not. Not only is it important that you have discussions with your teens about sex, but it is also important for you to advocate for your teens and the messages that they will hear from others. How can you advocate for your teen?
- Call your teen’s principal and find out what is being taught for sex education in the school. If abstinence is not being taught, write a letter to the principal advocating why you believe your teen needs to at least hear a proven-effective strong abstinence message.
- Write a letter to your local school board advocating that abstinence education should be emphasized in the schools.
- Find out if your local community has a health advisory committee. If so, attend a meeting and listen to their votes about what curricula is approved to teach.
- Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
- Write an Op-Ed for your local newspaper.
- Contact your state and Federal elected officials to advocate that they support abstinence education. Here is a sample letter.
- Start a group of concerned parents for your community.
- Encourage your teens to also advocate for themselves by writing letters to their principal, letter to the editor, or to their Congressmen. Students’ voices are sometimes louder than the adults’.
- Join the Healthy Family Formation Coalition to stay connected with updated press releases and action alerts.
- Read Sex, Lies, and Hookups: A Parent’s Guide for Fighting Back and distribute copies to other adults.