The work that goes into being a proud father to be is complicated and challenging at best. Since girls mature faster than boys and women usually get the family bug sooner than men, it is without a doubt a lot of work for many men to catch up to their wives when the decision is made to start a family. This is why it is so important that the decision be mutual and as much as possible planned.

The U.S has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the entire world. In part, due to our reluctance to realize that our teens are sexual beings for sure, but it is also because we do not have the necessary conversations with our teens and in doing so lose an opportunity to prepare our teens for some of the missteps of being sexually active.

Being a Dad is more than a title. It is more than the name on the birth certificate. Being a Dad involves mentorship, nurturing, undying love and patience. The love of a father is what can make or break a teen girl’s sexuality and over all confidence while setting a standard of what it is to be a man and the way in which that manhood looks for a teen boy. For some teen boys, being a man is little more than the ability to create life rather than the ability to nurture that life. No, that distinction takes thought, preparation and planning. 

This is why when teen boys make a decision to have sex with someone; they should be encouraged to think about whether or not they want this person to be the mother of their children. This is the question that should prompt the decision to manage their destiny by wearing a condom. This should be the case even when they have been dating for some time, and even when she says she is on birth control. I say she says because teen girls unintentionally use their birth control incorrectly or they don’t use it at all in an attempt to trap the boy into being with them forever or other reason.

Athletes like Tom Brady of the New England Patriots and Gilbert Arenas of the Washington Wizards are having children out of wedlock because they did not consider this question. While some athletes can maturely inquire that their baby’s mama stop slandering them in public like Dwight Howard’s lawyers making it impossible to have his baby’s mama say or write his name in public other’s have become more desperate like Rae Carruth the former football player who hired a hit man to beat his six-month pregnant girlfriend because he did not want the responsibility of fatherhood.

Teen boys need to recognize that the decision to have sex with someone can be a life-changing experience. This is not just because the sex is either good or great, but because if what you planned to be a great story to tell your boys in the locker room results in child support payments, a nagging one night stand and a constant reminder of a weak moment or break in trust, the regret can be huge! This is something that cannot be reversed and will affect your teen financially and emotionally for the rest of their lives.

Teen boys should be encouraged to always use and bring their own condoms, never trust that their girlfriend or partner is using birth control correctly and never trust that their partner has the same intention to wait to start a family. For the simple fact that girls mature much faster than boys and whether they intended to or not they are responsible for these children by the court, teen boys should be comfortable saying, “Thanks, I brought my own condoms.”

Related posts:

1. Difference In Boys And Girls In A Relationship
2. Helping Teen Boys Seek Medical Care
3. Teen Boys and the HPV Vaccine