The Blog of P.U.R.E. and Sue Scheff

Believe it or not, some teens do in fact want to remain virgins until marriage. If you are part of this group and have managed to survive high school with your virginity still intact, then you have completed a huge accomplishment. But you will learn early on that during college you will be faced with a variety of different challenges that might make your vow of celibacy hard to keep. But there are some easy and practical ways that you can remain a virgin in college. The first thing you need to do is know your limits. If you wish to remain a virgin, this doesn't mean that you have to cast off the opposite sex indefinitely, but you do need to be open about your desire to remain a virgin and set your limits. As cliché as it may sound, many lose their virginities because they were "caught up in the heat of the moment." So it's best not to put yourself into a situation that could jeopardize your virginity. For example, if you have no intentions of surpassing passionate ki...

As Mother's Day is fast approaching on May 9th this year, some people scramble to find the perfect gift to show their mother how much they are appreciated. Some struggle with the loss of a mother, while others debate whether to honor their mother. Are you the parent of a teen that is also celebrating Mother's Day? 16 and Pregnant is a reality show that has received a lot of attention with both parents and teens. In the season finale, Dr. Drew hosts a round table discussion with the 10 teens that gave birth. What you will learn is that many of these girls believe that getting pregnant (or making the decision to keep the baby verse adoption or abortion) will help them to keep their boyfriend too. Most all of these teens express how much harder it is to be a mother than they expected. A light bulb moment is the fact that school is suddenly so important to these girls, which is great, but why didn't they think of this prior having sex without protection? Some of the girls ad...

Yikes, this is one of the most difficult and sensitive subjects parents dread to talk to their kids about, but it is also just as critical. Whether you believe your teen is having sex or not, the conversation is important. Your teen will rely on his/her peers to help educate them if you don't. MTV's - " It's Your Sex Life " helps teach your teens about safe sex, protection, if you are ready for this big step, as well as the risks of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STD). In Broward County, there are places your teens can get tested for STD's. If you are not in Florida, find your local center, click here . If you are a teenager, don't wait for your partner or your health care provider to start the conversation, take charge. After all, this Is YOUR (Sex) Life. By talking about sex (that includes what you feel ready, or not, to do) you are showing that you care about yourself and your partner, and that your are in control. It's YOUR (...

In the same week we hear about the increase of teen pregnancies , we also learn about parents in California wanting "oral sex" removed from the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary. As uncomfortable as some parents are with discussing oral sex, if we don't educate our children, someone else will! And it may not be exactly the way you would like them to learn it. Recently two articles struck a nerve with many parents that were completely unaware of the teen or even tweens, sex games. Just when you think lipstick is a little spark of beauty and bracelets can be a fun accessory, we learn about the Rainbow and Snap games! You won't find these games in the dictionary - but both offer "oral sex" so you want to be sure YOU are the one talking to your teens about this. " One of the nation's shining success stories of the past two decades is in danger of unraveling," said Sarah Brown of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnan...

This is a sensitive subject and many will be appalled and disgusted, however as a parent, it is about being educated. Knowing what can be happening in your neighborhood, in your schools, or even in your own home - is your responsibility as a parent to stay in touch with your children and their lives. " Rainbow Party " by Paul Ruditis , is written as fiction, however has a powerful message that many will be shocked to hear about. This rainbow party is not about homosexuals coming out, it is about sex and your teens. It is, in fact, an oral-sex party in which each girl wears a different color lipstick. In theory, after the girls perform oral sex on the boys, they would be left with rainbows around their penises. Many parents have the sex talk with their kids. Many schools offer sex education. There are also many resources, websites and books that can help educate your teens to be better prepared when they do decide to have sex. But have you talked to your teens about the...

Source: Better Health Reaching Adults - Teens Text Questions About Sex by DrNancyBrown As if we needed any more indications that the sexuality education we teach in schools might not be working, the latest place for teens to find answers to their questions is via cell phone. In spite of web sites that allow teens to ask anonymous questions like We’re Talking Teen Health and Go Ask Alice! , teens are still looking for answers to immediate sexuality-related questions, and texting them is the newest way to get answers. In California, teens can text their sexuality questions to ISIS by texting the word ‘hookup’ to the phone number 365247 which will allow them to sign up for weekly health tips. Each tip contains a prompt to text the word ‘clinic’ plus a zip code to get contact information for two local clinics. In North Carolina, they can text questions to The Birds and Bees Text Line . Both services provide non-judgmental and medically accurate information within 24 hours to teens with ...

Source: Connect with Kids “There will be girls who use the ‘morning after pill’ in probably a very casual way. And not really take into account what that means.” – Nancy McGarrah, Ph.D., Psychologist Some experts worry that once the morning after, or ‘Plan B’ pill is available to 17 year old kids teen sexual activity will increase. “Teenagers that will choose to have sex that weren’t having sex before,” says Psychologist Nancy McGarrah, “because they know that the ultimate fear of pregnancy isn’t an ultimate fear anymore.” Some teenagers agree. “They’ll know in the back of their minds ‘okay, this happens, I’ll just take the pill tomorrow,’” says 18-year-old Lauren Moskowitz. “If you knew that you could stop fertilization or stop the sperm from coming, of course you’re going to do it, because there’s a greater chance that you know, you’re not going to get pregnant,” adds 19-year-old Angel Goldring. “So I think it’ll increase sexual activity if the pill is introduced.” The morning after ...

Source: National Campaign To Prevent Teen Pregnancy May 6, 2009 is the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy. How do you score? Take the National Day Quiz and find out. Take the National Day Quiz Grab the National Day widget Teens Parents http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/national/pdf/2009/2009_ND_obama_message.pdf - Letter from President Obama. Hundreds of thousands of teens nationwide are expected to participate in the eighth annual National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy on May 6, 2009. The purpose of the National Day is straightforward. Too many teens still think “It can’t happen to me.” The National Day helps teens understand that it can happen to them and that they need to think seriously about what they would do in the moment. Why a National Day? Since the early 1990s, the teen pregnancy rate has declined 38 percent and the teen birth rate has declined 32%. In fact, few social problems have improved quite as dramatically over the past decade plus. The most recent news on ...

Source: TeensHealth One of the toughest decisions that a lot of teens face is whether to have sex. If people decide to have sex, it means they must also take responsibility to protect themselves from unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). In the United States, the teenage pregnancy rate is higher than in many other countries. Approximately 1 million teens become pregnant every year and most didn't plan on becoming pregnant. In addition to preventing unplanned pregnancies, people who have sex must protect themselves from STDs. For those having sex, condoms must always be used every time to protect against STDs. The most effective way to prevent pregnancy and STDs is document.write(defabstinence120) abstinence . Couples who do decide to have sex can choose from many effective birth control methods. Check the articles below to learn some important information about different methods of birth control. You may be surprised — some popular ones aren't as effect...

Source: KidsHealth Can a girl get pregnant if she has sex during her period?– Jamie* A lot of people think that if a girl has sex during her period, she can't get pregnant. But it is possible for a girl to get pregnant while she is bleeding. This can happen for a couple of reasons: Not all vaginal bleeding is the result of a menstrual period. Sometimes a girl will have a small amount of vaginal bleeding at the time of ovulation — the time when she is most fertile. During ovulation, an egg is released from one of the ovaries and travels down a fallopian tube to the uterus. It's common for girls who are ovulating to have some vaginal bleeding that can be mistaken for a period. Sometimes ovulation can occur before the bleeding from a girl's period has stopped, or it may occur within a few days after her period is over. Sperm can fertilize an egg for several days after ejaculation. So in both cases, having sex before the period is finished can result in pregnancy . Having unpro...

The news today? Teens floating photo's of themselves in their birthday suits, well, more or less. It seems more and more teens are not thinking about the consequences of sending questionable photos through email, texting, social networks etc. Parents need to explain to their child that placing such pictures may potentially cause them "not" to be accepted at a college or not get a job. More and more college admissions offices and potential employee's are Surfing the Net to find out more information on applicants. What you post today, may haunt you tomorrow! With all the discussions around the nude pictures - it brings up another concern - does this mean your teen is being recognized as a sex object? Does it say he or she is "easy"? Many people will ask, "where are the parents?", however it is almost impossible to monitor your teen 24/7, especially Online. As parents and adults everywhere, we need to tell our kids how this can harm them in the futur...

Source: Connect with Kids “Every TV show now has like at least one character who is like a slut.” – Katie Seewald, 14 years old Parents have heard a thousand times that sex is all over the media. But is the sheer volume of sexual images harming our children? Or is it something else? A recent movie, “A Guy Thing,” begins with a bachelor (played by Jason Lee) hurrying a woman (Julia Stiles) out of bed after a drunken one-night stand. The scene is typical of how casual sex is portrayed on television and in the movies. 14-year-old Katie Seewald says, “Every TV show now has like at least one character who is like a slut.” A study by the Rand Corporation finds that teens who watch shows with heavy sexual content are twice as likely to get pregnant or get someone pregnant compared to kids who don’t watch those shows. Still, while the study demonstrates a correlation between teenage sexual behavior and television content, it does not prove a cause. Are the higher pregnancy rates the result of...

Source: Connect with Kids “I always get a little bit nervous because I always worry about what they might ask me about my own life.” – Judy Crim, Mother When 12-year-old Sean Crim has a question about sex he asks his mother. “I would probably rather get information about sex from my parents. They always tell me the truth and they’ve never really lied to me about anything,” he says. But for his mom, talking about sex isn’t easy. “I always get a little bit nervous because I always worry about what they might ask me about my own life,” says Judy Crim. It’s an issue for lots of parents. If your children ask about your life before marriage, how would you answer? Sean’s mom says it’s happened to her. Judy says, “We talk about what was going on when I was a teenager, what teenagers were actively doing. And they’ll say mom did you do any of that?” It’s an awkward question. Experts say if you are too uncomfortable…you don’t have to answer. Leola Reis of Planned Parenthood says, “They are still ...

I was just recommended this dynamic book by Dr. Lisa Medoff and can’t wait to read it! As a Parent Advocate , this can be one of the most trying times for parents as school is opening. Today with issues surrounding social networking, compounded with peer pressure - “Stressed Out Students” are at risk of making not so good choices. Here is the recent Press Release about “SOS” - which can be purchased on Amazon today! SOS: STRESSED OUT STUDENT’S GUIDE TO HANDLING PEER PRESSURE Lisa Medoff, PhD In a society overloaded with media that glamorizes sex, drinking, and drugs, and where any outrageous, dangerous, humiliating thing a person does can be caught on a cell phone and posted on the internet for all to see, teens are feeling forced to succumb to peer pressure like never before. As peers become the pseudo “paparazzi,” teens need somewhere to turn for answers that give them the strength to reject the constant pressure to “fit in.” Now Kaplan - widely respected for helping millions of st...

Teenage Pregnancy Every year approximately 750,000 teenage girls become pregnant in the United States. This is roughly 1/3 of the age group’s population, a startling fact. Worse, more than 2/3 of teens who become mother will not graduate high school. Many young teen girls that are suffering with low self worth or feelings of not being loved believe that having a baby will give them a purpose in life. Unfortunately they are not looking at the whole picture and the reality of raising a child. These girls are not emotionally prepared to make such a major decision in their young life – yet many are in this situation. As a parent, we need to keep the lines of communication open, as hard as that is, it is necessary. If you are parent who recently discovered that your teenage daughter is pregnant or may be pregnant, we understand your fear and pain. This is a difficult and very serious time in both of you and your daughter’s life. No matter what happens, you and your daughter must work togeth...

Discussing sex with your tweens and teens can help them make better choices. Here's how. Temma Ehrenfeld Newsweek Web Exclusive Updated: 10:28 AM ET Jul 31, 2008 What kids think about sex might surprise you, but what they're doing sexually—and when they're doing it—might surprise you even more. In a study this year of more than a 1,000 tweens (kids between the ages 11 and 14), commissioned by Liz Claiborne Inc. and loveisrespect.org, nearly half said they'd had a boy- or girlfriend, and one in four said that oral sex or going "all the way" is part of a tween romance. The parents' view? Only 7 percent of parents surveyed in this study think their own child has gone any further than "making out." The whole subject of sex is so delicate that some parents put off talking to kids about it, believing their child is still too young, or because they're not sure what to say. They "finally sit down to have the Big Talk," says Dr. Mark Schuste...

Many people have seen the recent news stories on the 17 girls in MA that made a pact to get pregnant and succeeded. The Boston Globe article details this distressing situation. The National Campaign seeks to improve the well-being of children, youth, families, and the nation by preventing unplanned and teen pregnancy. Take a moment to visit this website of educational resources. *********************************** For parents, a teenage daughter becoming pregnant is a nightmare situation. Every year, approx. 750,000 teenage girls become pregnant in the United States. That is roughly 1/3 of the age group’s population, a startling fact! Worse, more than 2/3 of teens who become mothers will not graduate from high school. If you are a parent who has recently discovered that your teenage daughter is pregnant or may be pregnant, we understand your fear and pain. This is a difficult and serious time in both yours and your daughters’ life. Our organization, Parent’s Universal Resource Expe...