I watch Secret Life of the American Teenager with my two girls, who are 11.5 and 15.5 years old.  I was a little uncomfortable with the fact that the show is centered mainly around the sex drive of teenagers, but I’m not so much anymore.  Talking to your kids about sex is never easy, and Secret Life opens the doors of communication.

The church would have you tell your children to abstain, period.  That’s just not good enough!  It’s more effective for teens to see consequences of their decisions, and this show touches on several different decisions.  Everybody is not “doing it”, and that’s alright!

While I don’t think kids should be free to watch whatever they want, I do believe that sheltering them from television too much is not a good thing.  The key is watching together so situations may be discussed.  Instead of sending them into the world (or high school) blind to the ways of society and risk them making uninformed decisions along the way, why not just talk to them before then?

If you wait until your teen asks you about sex or brings up drugs or alcohol, chances are it’s too late.  Talk to them first no matter how uncomfortable it makes you feel.