One of the most challenging tasks of talking with teens about sexual issues is facing our own personal values and beliefs about sex. I don’t think it is an easy step to move from a desire to help teens address sexual issues to developing the skills and comfort level needed to effectively interact with them about sex. The first step is a willingness to examine our own beliefs, values, and views about sex.

Through the years, I’ve had many conversations with teens and young adults about sexuality. As a result, I’ve come to accept that no matter how much I think I’ve examined my beliefs about sexuality, there are still situations which challenge me to apply my core Christian values to the situations. While I have a clear understanding of Biblical principles, it is not always easy to recognize my personal values as clearly.

Consider the following scenario. You unexpectedly drop by to visit your 19-year-old son who is in college. He has recently moved into an apartment with a new roommate. You have not met his new roommate. When you knock on the door, your son’s roommate answers the door. She is scantily clad and you see a partially clothed male on the couch. You introduce yourself, and she indicates your son is not in the apartment at that time.

• What about this situation would bother you the most?
• What would you expect your son to do?
• Would it change your response if your son assures you that his roommate was in a committed, monogamous relationship?
• Would it change your response if your son’s roommate is female and involved in a lesbian relationship?
• Would it change your response if your son’s roommate is a homosexual male rather than a heterosexual female?

This entry was posted on Sunday, March 8th, 2009 at 6:49 pm and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.