True love Waits

Teens should read this article by Sis. Mary Pilar Verzosa:

“Girl, I can’t stand it any longer! Ten minutes na and he has not texted back! Ano ba yan?...luv pa ba nya me?”…Daniel is the second bf of Abbie this year. She is 15 years old. He is 16, really good looking, a basketball player and malambing. Abbie is hoping that her relationship with Daniel will stay longer than her three months with Joshua. She does not even know now why she even agreed to be on with Joshua! Abbie is just one among the many teens who easily get in and out of romantic relationships with the opposite sex. The cell phone makes it so quick for relationships to deepen and even become intimately physical – ending in love-making, pregnancy, abortion or sexually transmitted diseases. They are thrown into roller coaster emotions of passion, jealousy, anger and impatience, day dreaming and illusions, inspiration or frustration. One minute he or she is the one and only. The next minute, they cannot stand each others’ demanding attention and time. “Nasasakal na yata ako…” Very often I get invited to high schools tospeak on Love, Sex and teenagers. Open Forum questions reveal how much the youth want to speak with someone who will understand their needs, feelings, dreams, and problems. They admit they are sometimes confused if it is now love and will sex make them closer because of conflicting messages they get from their parents , media, school and friends. They want answers and guidelines in order to avoid the horrible stories they hear about people committing suicide, getting abused and molested, fooled into relationships and getting date raped, getting pregnant or some disease. We have lots of laughter and serious moments when they, both boys and girls, ask me how they can help their friends in complicated situations. I really feel their love and caring for one another. This is when I distribute the “I am a Responsible Boy” and the “I am a Responsible Girl” bookmarks. Before I end of the presentation, I challenge them to join the “True love Waits” Campaign. Millions of teens have already signed the cards. This is a serious commitment not to engage in premarital sex and a prayer to God to strengthen them to avoid temptations during courtship. Be a pro-life advocate. Who knows how many souls you will be able to save! If you are interested to join us, contact our Pro-life office at 911-2911. We can go to your school to promote this campaign. For questions and advices, text me at 0919-2030-637.

Parents: The Most Important Educators on Sexuality

The task of forming healthy sexual attitudes and understanding in children is one of the most important role of parents. In providing an education on love and sexuality to their children, parents must begin by refuting the propaganda that outside "experts" can do the job better than they can.

It is imperative for parents today to investigate what is being taught in the name of sex education. Parents have a right to examine curricular materials and textbooks. They can and must talk to the teachers and principals about what they hope to communicate. And to look carefully for a hidden agenda such as pro-homosexual and lesbian behavior, the safe sex distortion, the belief that premarital sex is a freedom of choice, and any suggestions that pits teenagers against their parents.

In a recently held conference on family life, parent-speakers stressed on the following points on why the home is the best place to convey sex information to children.

Parents know their children better than anyone else, they know their maturity level as well as what language they understand. Also, parents are more likely to inject the moral aspects of sexuality that are so important to the development of a wholesome view of sex. This does not been that information about sex should not be taught at church and at school. But sex education at church an d school should be complementary to what the child receives at home, not given in place of it.

School sex education classes ignore individual differences among children and break down the natural modesty of boys and girls. When children are taught academics, such as Math and Reading, they are given materials suitable to their level of readiness for these subjects. Yet, when it comes to the extremely sensitive area of sexuality, all children in the same grade level are given the same material, even if some are not yet physically or psychologically ready for the material. This is insensitive and harmful. Forcing boys and girls to listen to, view and openly discuss the sexual functioning of the opposite sex's anatomy while in their presence is embarrassing and contributes to the breakdown of the modesty that is natural and appropriate in human beings.

What is taught and how it is taught -- in sex education classes are not immediately known in detail by parents. This means that there is absolutely no way parents can control, or even find out what their children are being taught about sex unless they sit in the classroom or when their teenage child asks them to buy condom or IUD to be brought to class as part of their homework.

School sex education has never been shown to reduce the growing problem of teen pregnancy or abortion. In fact, in the United States, data shows the opposite: as federal funding for sex education programs increases, so do the rates of teen pregnancies and abortions. This proves that the contraceptive mentality encourages the youth to become promiscuous.

Children do not need Sex Education, they need Chastity Education. Kids need to learn how to say no and why saying no is in their best interest -- physically, emotionally and spiritually. Sexuality involves more than birth control pills. The school sends the wrong message to students when their sex education courses are mere "how to do it and how not to get caught" lessons. If schools spend more time on chastity education, the number of chaste teens would rise dramatically.

There is no such thing as" value-free" sex ed. When anything more than the biology is taught, someone's values are going to be presented. Telling students to "make up your own mind" tells them there are no standards to go by. Telling students it's "best to say 'no,' but if you're going to be sexually active, be protected" send them the message that the teacher doesn't really expect them to control themselves. Presenting birth control without saying it's wrong for them to use it tells the students the teacher doesn't think it's wrong.

The best lesson in sex parents can provide their children is the love and respect they show for each other. Parents convey attitudes and values about life and sexuality as they interact with their children each day. They are always available to their children for support, questions and direction and have much wisdom to share that comes from the faithful living out of their commitment as husband and wife and as parents.