You Go, Girl!

TEENAGE SEXUALITY 

 

WE SET YO U TALKING

The I Say piece, “Why I’ll keep saying ‘no’” (Nov 19), on a teenager’s bid to stay chaste until marriage, drew a host of reader replies. Here are excerpts.

 

 

More reasons to say ‘no’

 

SARAH SUM-CAM PBE LL: Ms Hyuuga asked that teenagers be given a better reason than statistics to wait to have sexual intercourse. Here are some reasons. Hopefully when my 19-month-old daughter is in her teens, I would have developed even more points so we can discuss sex over a nice cup of tea.

 

Your body is not currency. Some girls choose to express their love for their boyfriends by sharing their bodies with them. Many boys ask for sex as a proof of love. Giving away one’s body young may mean that by the time a girl is ready to be married and have children, she has no more “currency” to spend.

 

Consider the health issues. Apart from the possibility of abortion or a host of sexually transmitted diseases, Some studies also show that girls engaging in sexual intercourse with multiple partners are more liable to developing cervical cancer.

     Teenagers often feel invincible and think nothing bad can happen to them. But it only takes one thing to go wrong for a girl to live the rest of her life in regret.

 

Too intimate too soon? As a teenager, it makes sense to get to know many different people without engaging in sexual experimentation. This way, one develops a taste of what in a friend makes one happy. In turn, one learns how to be a friend.

     Also, sharing one’s body as an expression of love opens you up to a host of emotions which some girls are not ready to handle.

 

Waiting builds character. In their teens, very few girls truly know who they are and what they wish to do with their lives, and few can wisely choose with whom they want to spend their lives. The kind of boy a girl wants to hang out with in her teenage years may not be the kind of man she wants to have as a husband or a father to her child.

 

Sex and reproduction. Having a child is something most teenagers are not prepared for. It could lead to unhappy families and spouse and child abuse. A committed, longterm relationship is key to building a happy, stable home environment.

 

 

I worry for my kids

 

JOSEPHINE LIM S H: THE article struck a chord in me. I am now 29 years old. I am glad that I lost my virginity at the age of 26 to the guy who is my hubby and the father of my two kids.

 

I am pretty worried how my kids’ generation will behave. Believe me, it feels really good to stay pure for the guy who loves you enough to marry you, and not one who says sayonara after having intercourse.

 

 

Where are the role models?

 

JAME S CHIH: With their exposure to the Internet and an increasingly open media, I cannot blame some teenagers for the way they behave. The real problem I see is actually a lack of proper role models, be it at home, in school or in the media.

 

Schools have been very successful in imparting knowledge but maybe less so when it comes to imparting values. We have teachers that sport tattoos and discuss “sexscapades” on their personal blogs. Some may see it as an open and honest approach to sharing, but I am more traditional and hold the view that teachers have a certain image to uphold.

 

People that think like Natsume are a dwindling minority. I write to encourage her and hope she will continue to hold on to her beliefs.