You Have A Choice

Being a public health nurse in a clinic that offers family planning services, ie. birth control and located down the street from a large high school, I have daily encounters with young girls considering being sexually active.

Teens brave enough to make an appointment and tell a complete stranger that they are contemplating a sexual relationship, you would assume, are ready to hand over their virginity on a silver platter. Before I started this job, I might have agreed with you. What I find, though, is quite surprisingly the opposite.

One such girl entered my office last week. In only a few short minutes, I assessed her to be a smart, mature and responsible young woman. She came to see me, because she wanted to be "prepared" for a potential sexual relationship with her current boyfriend. In my opinion, a smart yet regretably, rare occasion.

I began to ask her questions about her relationship. I inquired, do you want to have sex? She responded, well, kind of. Kind of? I repeated, attempting to get more of an explanation. She went on to tell me how her friends and coworkers were giving both her and her boyfriend a difficult time because they had dated for over a year were not having sex.

I assured her that she has every right to tell them, it is none of their business. No one can make that choice but her. The stress and tension of making such a life changing decision visibly faded from her face. She said, my friends call me naive, but I think they are naive, they've already succumbed to the sexual pressure around them. I'm the smart one.

I wanted to cheer. Yea! for you. It's amazing to me how many girls (and guys) feel so much pressure to be involved in a sexual relationship.

It's YOUR choice, and only yours. YOU are the one that has to deal with the consequences. Not just the possibility of pregnancy or infections, but of the total change it brings to you as a person. Don't be afraid to do what's best for YOU. YOU are the only one that can be responsible for yourself.