Atstinence Class Effectiveness

Results were just released ordered by Congress  regarding the effectiveness of sexual-abstinence education programs for our youth. The major finding is that students who take part in abstinence classes are just as likely to have sex as those who do not. In addition, the youth in the study report having similar numbers of sexual partners, with or without the abstinence classes.

These findings indicate an important principle in child development. Children are children and will make choices based on who they are as people in alignment with their natural development. When we try to get them to stop being children based on what we tell them, we are seldom successful. Have you noticed?

Children pay attention to their own inner feelings and perceptions about reality. You can talk until you are blue in the face, and you will seldom see any results. In order to change their behavior, children’s inner feelings and perceptions of reality need to change. This is an inner change, not affected much by your good ideas.

What changes children’s behavior is their experience and what they see around them. This is where you can affect change. All the atstinence classes in the world and reminders about morality will not stop children from having sex.