Growing up in the day and age that we do, many
teens including myself, are often faced with difficult decisions
concerning the future. These issues can range from selecting
the best college to attend, to deciding where to get a job
at. One decision that should not be difficult to make however,
is the choice to be abstinent, or to refrain from sexual activity.
Abstinence is a choice that is available to
each and every individual. It does not matter who a person
is, what a person looks like, or how much money a person has,
everyone has a voice when it comes to choosing to keep the
code of abstinence. Besides from being an open choice, this
is a choice, that when kept, can have a major impact on an
individual, especially a teen. Afterall, abstinence is the
only true infallible way to prevent pregnancy, not to mention
the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
And sure there may be other means of birth control, such as
birth control pills or condoms, but it is important to remember
that these methods are not completely reliable.
When abstinence is broken, there is of course always the possibility
of pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy can mean a number of things
for both the male and female involved. The financial responsibility
of raising a child is tremendous and the time commitment to
that child is very demanding. With these factors thrown into
a teenager's life, it is no wonder to see many teenage parents
failing in school, or worse, dropping out of school altogether.
These bad grades and decisions about staying in school often
negatively affect an individual for the rest of their life.
Dreams about the future and what could be accomplished are
replaced with worries and anxieties about how to care for
a child. Having a child is, afterall, an important commitment,
not just while the child is young, but for years on end.
It is evident that many teens each and every
year break this code of abstinence. But why? What makes these
teens fall subject to breaking an understood rule that is
preached to them all of their lives? The most obvious and
important answer is peer pressure. As a teenager myself, I
know personally just how influential other teenagers are on
life choices. Do not get me wrong, peer pressure can be positive
at times, such as friends "pressuring" friends into
trying out for that sports team at school, or the lead role
in the school play. But the other kind of peer pressure, the
kind that involves teens pressuring their peers into drinking,
smoking, doing drugs, and yes, you guessed it, not remaining
abstinent; that is the kind of peer pressure that should be
avoided at all costs.
The key for teens to avoiding negative peer
pressure, and in turn achieving abstinence, is the choice
of who will be an influence on them in their life. Instead
of always choosing the popular "cool" people at
school to be their friends, teens should look beyond the outward
and public appearance of an individual to the real personality
and morals hidden within. Not all fellow teens approve of
having sex at this premature age, as there are some abstinent
teenagers these days. Besides, a true friend is someone who
will accept an individual for who they are and not try to
change them in a negative way, such as pressuring them into
sexual activity.
So, the choices are clear: Teens can choose
to be sexually active and chance giving up all of their life's
dreams and hopes for momentary pleasure, or they can choose
to live the pure abstinent way of life and look forward to
a fulfilling, successful future where children and pregnancies
are planned and prepared for.
|
