South Florida Parents Learn to Speak Up about Sex

Leaders from Boys Town South Florida, New Hope Charities, and For The Children, Inc. - Barton Community Beacon Center, emphasized to more than 150 parents and 100 professionals the importance of healthy relationships and talking to children about waiting until marriage to have sex.

Talking to children about why they should wait to have sex can be difficult. That’s why more than 150 parents and 100 professionals attended Boys Town South Florida’s Parents Speak Up workshop.

The workshop, a collaboration with the National Parents Speak Up campaign, emphasized the importance of healthy relationships as well as teaching parents ways to talk to children about waiting until marriage to have sex.

“Too often, young people learn about sex through the media,” said Amy Simpson, Boys Town South Florida Executive Director. “The Parents Speak Up campaign informs parents they have a responsibility to talk to their children about waiting to have sex and gives them ideas on how to start the conversation.”

It is important to talk to children about sex considering the United States has the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the industrialized world and one in four teenage girls nationwide has a sexually transmitted disease.

“This is a big issue and early sexual activity can have lifelong consequences on children,” said Laura Buddenberg, Boys Town Training Manager. “Teens make better choices when they are communicating with their parents and we want to make sure they understand how important it is to talk to their children early and often about sex.”

The workshop also gave parents advice on setting a good example for their children.

“Parents need to realize their actions have an influence on their child’s behavior,” said Simpson. “The workshop emphasized the importance of teaching morals and values to children.”

“The National Parents Speak Up campaign is sponsored by the Federal Department of Health and Human Services,” said Jim Gross, Associate Vice President for Training, Evaluation and Certification.  “Boys Town is going into our second year with this collaborative.”