LONDON, ENGLAND — Parents, be advised: The way to your teenager’s loins is not through his religious conscience, according to a new pamphlet distributed by a children’s minister with backing from the government.In “Talking to Your Teenager about Sex and Relationships,” minister Beverly Hughes cautions parents that maintaining open lines of communication is of paramount importance as youngsters become curious about the ways of the flesh. The best way to lose a teen’s respect — and his attention — is to browbeat him with righteous judgmentalism.
“Discussing your values with your teenagers will help them to form their own,” Hughes’ pamphlet counsels. “Remember, though, that trying to convince [teens] of what’s right and wrong may discourage them from being open.”
Hughes suggests parents not shy away from preparing even young children for the day when they will have “the big talk.” The key, she notes, is to approach the topic in a casual manner while engaged in unrelated activities. Ongoing parental dialogue about sex and sexuality prior to the traditional panic stage when children reach adolescence can prevent kids from picking up misinformation from peers, Hughes wrote.
To support parental efforts, the pamphlet includes technical information about various forms of birth control.
England’s religious conservatives are morally outraged.
“Preserving children’s innocence is a worthy goal,” Simon Calvert, deputy director of the Christian Institute, told The Times. “We would like to see more of that kind of language rather than this amoral approach where parents are encouraged to present their children with a smorgasbord of sexual activities and leave them to make up their own minds.”
It is exactly that sort of amoral thinking that caused teen pregnancy rates in the U.K. to edge upward in 2008 after declining 12.9-percent during the previous 10 years, Calvert said.
Ambiguous morality also played into the sensational (in the U.K.) case of Alfie Patten, a 13-year-old boy who fathered a 15-year-old girl’s child.
“The idea that the government is telling families not to pass on their values is outrageous,” Calvert told The Times.
The free pamphlet became available in pharmacies beginning March 1st.
