There is a question that’s on many teenagers’ minds. “Should I have sex?” It’s quite an issue for teenagers, and even some young adults. Losing one’s virginity can seem like a passageway to adulthood. It can be a major burden to make the right decision. Often, lots of peer pressure is involved. One must consider the possible outcomes sex could bring. In life, we struggle with so many issues. We must make decisions. I believe that everyone is responsible for their own decisions. When sex enters people’s minds, many things come into thought. Some of the things you should consider before making the decision to have sex are: the current relationship with your partner, how your decision could affect your life, methods of protection so that pregnancy sexually transmitted diseases are avoided.
Sex should be with someone who is important in your life. You don’t want a one-night stand with some guy or girl who was drunk at the time. A sexual encounter should be a special one and it could be a wise idea to plan in advance. Don’t plan the act but rather plan around the act of sex, that way arrangements can be made for birth control or condoms. A disturbing 20% of teenagers in a survey done in 2000, never use protection. That is risky business. Sexually transmitted diseases could be passed along if a condom isn’t used. The scary part is that symptoms of having an STD may not be evident for up to 10 years. Not using protection could result in a pregnancy which is difficult to deal with as a teen. Teenagers who have babies experience dramatic changes in their lives. Suddenly, their time is consumed with caring for a baby. The fathers sometimes resents the girl, and doesn’t want to help support their child. It’s sad but true.
Here are some statistics from a survey of almost 15,000 teens from YM Magazine, February 2000 Issue. This tells what virgins expect sex to be like, and also what non-virgins said it was really like:
What Virgins Expect Sex To Be Like:
- 67% say it will be ‘romantic’.
- 59% expect it’ll be ‘a loving experience that will bring my partner and me closer together’.
- 56% think it’ll be ‘exciting and fun’.
- 42% believe it will be ‘sexually satisfying’.
- 17% foresee it will be ‘scary and stressful’.
- 15% worry that the experience will be ‘gross and painful’.
What Non-Virgins Say Sex Was Really Like:
- 29% say it was ‘romantic’.
- 30% call it ‘a loving experience that brought me and my partner closer together’.
- 44% report that it was ‘exciting and fun’.
- 34% say it was ‘sexually satisfying’.
- 27% report it was ‘scary and stressful’.
- 22% feel it was ‘gross and painful’.
The message I’d like to get across to anyone who reads this, is to make wise decisions. Do what seems right to you, but be responsible enough to know the outcomes having sex could bring. Be careful and make wise choices. You are special. If you’re trying to make a decision about sex, try talking to someone who’s been there and done it. We can all learn so much from each other. According to the survey mentioned earlier, here are the sources for where teens get their information and perceptions about sex.
- Friends- 85%
- Magazines- 77%
- School sex-ed or a trusted teacher- 62%
- TV- 56%
- Movies- 47%
- Parents- 46%
- Books- 30%
- The Web- 25%
- Siblings- 24%
If you’re an internet fan, it may be a good idea to prepare yourself and get some good sources about sex on the web. Here are some of them:
http://www.allaboutsex.org/
http://www.teenwire.com/
http://www.sxetc.org/
http://www.seventeen.com/
http://www.alloy.com/
http://www.positive.org/
To have sex, or not to is just one of the decisions in this game called “Life”.