When I was a high school psychologist, I posted huge pieces of paper with useful information outside my office. Crowds gathered so I moved the paper out into the hallway where informal discussions took place.
The most popular sheet was called “The 4 Big Questions”.
Question 1: “Is this healthy for me?”
Question 2: “Can I live with the short-term consequences?”
Question 3: “Can I live with the long-term consequences?”
Question 4: “Why is this person asking me to do this?”
My informal discussions went something like this:
- “Is having sex at this age healthy for you as a woman?” "No" and I’d explain why.
- Can you live with the short-term consequences of him telling everybody you “did it”?
- What about getting pregnant and living with that decision for a lifetime?
- Why does he want you do to this? Well, duh.
Teach them the 4 Big Questions to keep them safe and healthy.
Claudia
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