Teens, dating and mating advice for parents (teen sex)

Wendy Walsh, PhD Parenting & Relationship Expert, shares advice for parents on how to prepare your teenager for dating and relationships and what to teach them to keep them safe.
Teenage Dating Advice for Parents
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Teens, dating and mating advice for parents (teen sex)

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Dating and mating for teenagers today can be a little mine field to walk through because we've thrown away kind of traditional courtship. You've players and non-players in the same dating pool. And this can be terrifying for us as parents because we don't want to see out child hurt, whether it's a boy or a girl, we don't want to see their feelings get hurt. I think the most important thing for parents to digest is that sober news that about 80% of human beings have sex before their 19th birthday, for the first time. So we want that experience to be safe. We want this experience to be loving and we want this experience to teach them something about how to have a healthy relationship. Now, obviously, we're not going to be there every step of the way but we can prepare them by, first of all, talking very candidly and openly about birth control. Talking about protection and how to avoid STDs. And then also, most important, talking to them about the emotional piece of relationships. That men and women have sex in different ways and for different reasons, and that girls fall in love through sex because their bodies excrete oxytocins, the female bonding hormone. And when I say sex it may even mean kissing and holding hands, that physical contact gets girl's juices flowing and they start to believe they're in love. Whereas a guy can have sex with the same woman for months and not like her one bit more than he did that first date. Of course, we can also tell out boys that man have better sex when they do connect their feelings with it. And only 3% of boys are considered to be players - Don Juan's Casanovas. Most boys want the same thing girls want which is a good friend, a companion. And if they can have sex, that's great too. So I would say make sure you prepare them health-wise, make sure you prepare them birth control-wise but most importantly make sure you prepare them emotionally. (teen sex)

Wendy Walsh, PhD Parenting & Relationship Expert, shares advice for parents on how to prepare your teenager for dating and relationships and what to teach them to keep them safe.

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Wendy Walsh, PhD

Relationship & Parenting Expert

Dr. Wendy Walsh was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work as co-host on The Dr. Phil spinoff, The Doctors TV show. She also hosts Investigation Discovery Network’s “Happily NEVER After,” as well as being part of Dr. Drew’s Behavior Bureau on HLN Network. On CNN and 9 Network, Australia, she breaks down the psychology of sex, love, gender roles, divorce, parenting and other human behaviors. Dr. Wendy is an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at California State University, Channel Islands. She holds a B.A. in Journalism, a Masters degree in Psychology, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, and is the author of three books and numerous publications, including The 30-Day Love Detox. She appears regularly on The Today Show, CBS This Morning, Good Morning America, The Steve Harvey Show, The O’Reilly Factor, Inside Edition, The Katie Couric Show, Jane Velez-Mitchell, and The View.

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