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1 in 4. If only the odds of winning the lottery were as good!

Posted by Leticia, 20 May

They grow up so fast. You may be surprised by the number of young people engaging in adult activities and the staggering consequences. It doesn't matter if you have children or not, we're all affected by the growing statistics and number of young people contracting STD's. Be aware of the signs that you have an std.

Remember back in the day when you could buy penny candy for oh, say a penny. You couldn't wait to get home from school so that you could go outside making sure to pay attention to the street lights, because that was the only indication that it was time for you to get your tail in the house or you were in big trouble.

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Then there was your first crush; your heart beat fast whenever they walked into the room and man if they liked you back at the same time. It was heaven. You would hold hands, maybe a kiss on the check, maybe second base if no one was around. Well, my oh my how times have changed. The latest stats show that almost half of American teens lose their virginity by the age of 17. According to a report put out by the Alan Guttmacher Institute, NY, in the U.S., 7 in 10 women who had sex before 14 report it having been involuntarily.

On the news the other night, the report said that 1 in 4 sexually active teen girls are infected with an STD. That could be anything from Chlamydia, gonorrhea, genital warts and/or herpes.

Whether you have a teenager in your home or not, chances are that you know one that is sexually active. The scary thing is that a lot of these teen girls are having anal sex because they think that it still makes them a virgin. When we look around at the latest fashions, music, TV shows, and let's not forget commercials. It's no wonder that our young women are having a hard time trying to fit into this image that society is telling them is acceptable.

Popularity was always the goal in high school, but you got that by being involved in sports, student activities or your grades. Now both guys and girls are telling all to get "street credibility". It's not that teens were not having sex "back in the day", it's just that usually it involved boyfriend and girlfriend combinations. Teens today are changing sexual partners like kids use to swap baseball cards.

It seems that we've been hearing the good news of teen pregnancies on the decline, however, sexually transmitted diseases are not declining, and self esteem is not rising. These young ladies grow up into young women that think that it's better to use your body than your brain to get what you want. Young men take on beliefs that girls come a dime a dozen.

Think that you are not affected by this? How do you think this impacts the dating pool? Where do you think these young men and women go after they've made their way through their entire cheer leading or football squad? Think there could be any on-line right now pretending to be older...somebody else?

My point is this, pay now or later. It would be a lot easier and cheaper to pay now. Pay attention, reach out to some young person or group. Give up a little time, energy, guidance and love. It goes a long way to a young person in need. The truth is that not just teens need that. There are a lot of emotionally damaged young adults that are walking around lost and alone and in need of someone to give them a little time and attention.

I'm a big fan of volunteering. There are a lot of organizations that need people like you to give a little time and attention. As little as a couple of hours a week go a long way. Think about it. You never know whose life you may change in the process... Maybe even your own.

My daughter wrote on our home dry-erase board last month "Bad Company corrupts good morals". I personally like "be the change that you want to see". This is Leticia, and all I ask is that you do something.

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8 responses to "1 in 4. If only the odds of winning the lottery were as good!"

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  1.   WHURR says:
    Posted: 11 Jul 08

    What the article doesnt tell you is that the reason the stats are so high are based solely on the fact that they come from the clinics. Private doctors do not release any information. Anytime the CDC releases info, it comes from health clinics from subsidized medicine. Government money has to be used to get access to the records. They need to make it more realistic and say the real numbers, but fortunately they will never have access to your personal medical records.

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  2.   ISAAC says:
    Posted: 06 Jul 08

    hey kenyanito it's good we do the same work,i work with Beacon of hope Uganda where we do counseling to people living with HIV/AIDS,hope you can conatct me me for further details

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  3.   kenyanito says:
    Posted: 13 Jun 08

    its an extremely good article and where i work i also do counselling to the young women, widows and orphans.. i do talk to my teenage daughters too about STDs, Hiv and Aids which is a reality.. Yes if we could all adhere to what we read about health, we could make this world a better place to stay in...

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  4.   nicefella115 says:
    Posted: 04 Jun 08

    Makes sense to me Henry.

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  5.   sweetnes20 says:
    Posted: 30 May 08

    im with henry on that comment!!

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  6.   Member says:
    Posted: 28 May 08

    IF PEOPLE CAN READ AND PUT WHAT THEY READ IN PRACTICE,HIV/AIDS CAN BECOME HISTORY.

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  7.   Member says:
    Posted: 28 May 08

    I WOULD TO SEND THIS ADVICE TO MY FELLOW YOUTHS MOSTLY ESPECIALLY THOSE FROM AFRICA TO STAY SAFE AND CONTINUE PRACTICING "ABC" WHICH IS -ABSETAINCE,BEING FAITHFUL and PROPER USE OF CONDOMS.

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  8.   SxyWhtTiger says:
    Posted: 23 May 08

    Good article...I think schools and other organizations should make the younger generations more aware of everything so they make the right choices and not only about std's but also including about HIV and AIDS...I personally I haven't contracted any STD'S,HIV or AIDS and I plan to keep it that way...I've always said "Don't be a fool always wrap your tool"...lol

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