sexuality and puberty

My teenager was making calls in the midnight with a 'stranger' who just happened to crash her mobile no. My first reaction was to seize the phone and call the stranger (boy) back, barring him from further calls!! Have you noticed that what is prohibited is more attractive and flavored than what is allowed?

Sexuality

Coming to terms with your teen's developing sexuality can be difficult, but they need your support and advice to help them grow and establish relationships in a mature and safe way.

Puberty

Puberty, however, is the point when the body begins to change from that of a child into an adult. It comprises lots of changes which take place over quite a long period, usually several years.

During this period your child's body develops the characteristics of a sexually mature adult. The sexual organs develop, there are changes in the hormone balance and in other features of the body relating to sexuality.

Boys and girls

Girls reach puberty approximately six months to a year earlier than boys.
But you must note that each individual child is different. Some children are what you can call late bloomers.

Each gender has to cope with different experiences. Girls have to come to terms with menstruation and growing breasts, while boys have to cope with wet dreams and emerging beards.

You must be ready to provide necessary information as well as the opportunity to talk about any anxieties they might have. Avoid joking about the changes they're going through, it may not be appreciated by your sensitive teen and you may end up blocking avenues of further discussions between the two of you.

Sexual relationships

It is controversial whether to take a liberal view on allowing your teen to associate freely with the opposite sex or to limit such freedom to prevent unnecessary and tempting contacts with them. This decision, I believe should depend on the background you have laid in the life of your teen. If the child is God fearing, such limits may not be necessary. Advocates of freedom of movement believe that this view shows your teen that you respect them as individuals and trust them to take the right decisions concerning their future.

There are many ways you can provide help and support in relation to sex.

* Make sure you know what sex education your teen is getting at school and from whom. The biology class on human anatomy will just tickle the imagination and encourage experimentation. However, it is more dangerous if your teen takes lessons from more sexually adventurous classmates!
* Provide your child with information and advice on the subjects not covered in these lessons
* Be open minded about issues of contraception. Offer to go with them to the doctor or sexual health clinic if necessary
* Make sure they know about STIs and how to stay safe
* Support them as they deal with the emotions of a first intimate relationship
* Try to accept your teenager will probably not have the same values as you when it comes to sex, but that such differences are an inevitable part of your child growing up into a healthy adult

For our sake I hope the recent figures I read which shows that 25 per cent of young women and 30 per cent of young men under the age of 16 have had sex are right. These figures are lower than many people imagine, and mean that three out of every four young women and two out of every three young men haven't had sex by the age of 16.

If more adolescents knew this, they'd probably feel less pressured into starting sexual relationships during the early teenage years.