Talking is Power: Start Early. Talk Often

TULSA, OK — They’re curious. They’re changing. They’re unclear and waiting on you to provide the information they need to make the best decisions possible for themselves. They are the teens and young adults you care for the most. And “the talk” is no longer what you think. What is “The Talk”: it is a conversation about reproductive and developmental health with teens and young adults.

Not only can our personal circles be flooded with false information and myths about sex, love, relationships, especially among young people, but social media is flooded with misinformation as well. With social media and smartphone apps young people’s relationships are more complex than ever. It can be difficult for an adult to determine what’s true or false online, so of course young people sometimes struggle to tell the difference.

Thankfully, parents and trusted adults, aka champions, like you can be an important, influential source for this lifesaving information. The top three places young people say they learn about sex as a teen are from school (65%), friends (58%), and their parents (36%) (Power to Decide, 2018). Over half of teens age 12-15 report that their parents most influence their decisions about sex (Power to Decide, 2016).

Times change and you may not know where to begin or how to engage a young person regularly on what can be considered embarrassing or confusing topics. Take this quiz and let local nonprofits, like Take Control Initiative and Tulsa Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, connect you to a local network, information and resources you need. You could even win a cash prize!

You’re not alone in having all the answers, so don’t leave them wondering or misguided. Let’s normalize dialogue related to sex, love and relationships by listening to the young people we care about and providing them with judgement-free, fact based and age appropriate information. Power to Decide organizes #TalkingIsPower, a national effort to spark meaningful conversations between young people and the parents and champions in their lives who care about them.

Take Control Initiative and Tulsa Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy work together to provide reproductive and developmental information to Tulsans and ensure health center access for all.