Sex Education

I wanted to get a feel for what people think on this subject. I have a pretty good idea already but thought we could get a little discussion going.

I was watching this video along with some others and was thinking about this topic. Personally, I know that abstinence is the only way to prevent pregnancy and disease when it comes to sex. I also know that when properly used a condom is highly effective at preventing pregnancy and in most cases the transmission of diseases. My question is, does it send a mixed message to tell your kid(s) not to have sex, but if they do, use a condom? Does the insistence of abstinence get lost in the request to use a condom if they decide not to adhere to the former? I wonder if the hard line gets blurry at that point or if the rule is somehow watered down by the recognition that they may not absolutely adhere to your rule.

For myself, I managed to abstain until after my wife and I were to be married. No she was not my first serious relationship although ours has certainly been the longest. I don't really remember much of the sex education I got as a kid, so it's hard for me to point specifically to one thing helping me along the way. Obviously, my faith played a large role. I think I generally have a pretty strong sense of personal willpower. I don't think that alone will take you all the way. Some of you may know I was in the Navy for six years. You probably realize the potential opportunities for straying that may provide. I would like to say my faith alone took me through that particular period unscathed. I might also like to think that my willpower alone was enough to withstand all the pressures I dealt with. Again I find myself at a loss to fully explain how this came about. I think it was a combination of those things and probably a few others.

Anyway, what do you guys think of this? What should we tell the youth of our nation when it comes to sex? What message will get through to them most effectively? We clearly have some issues with rampant teen pregnancy and STD's. If nothing else, the fact that some states are making it mandatory to vaccinate girls for HPV should be an indicator that something is seriously wrong here. I don't know how to fix it myself. I doubt any one person could have any one answer that would fix it all. My hope is that we can generate some ideas for a solution. Let's see what we can figure out.