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Bella was just 16 when she started engaging in sexual acts,no one told her she wasn't of age to,no one gave her the basic "sex education ". Her parents would always shy away from the discussion and on several occasions would yell at her when she brings the topic up."you are too young to talk about sex" her mother will always say,so poor Bella fell back to the knowledge she got from the media and peer influence.
Few days to her 17th birthday she realised her monthly flow was late,way late than usual,so she opted to run a urine PT test,she found out she was with child,confused and scared she relayed the information to her boyfriend (ken),who also turns out to be a teenager,neither of them was ready to parent a child,so they opined to having the baby removed.
Unfortunately for Bella she didn't survive the act,she died few days after the operation.
A lot of young ladies has fallen into the same situation Bella did,some fortunately come out with their heads,while many others don't.most of us have something in common with bella,parents who wave the discussion of sex into the air.
In a typical African home you dare not bring up the discussion of sex,or even still have your eyes glued to the TV when a romantic scene is on,not talk more of when a sexual act is displayed,the look you get from your parents would remind you that you forgot to water the grass.
Now I am not implying that parents should encourage their young ones to view adult contents but our generation lives in a society that is highly sexualized, where kids are exposed to different sexual languages before they are prepared to handle them,and with the advancement in technology i believe that most underage kids have access to adult sites.
Now,Imagine having your 12 year old walk up to you and ask you the meaning of "sexual intercourse" what do you do? 90% of every parent would give the avoidance reaction,which to me isn't right,well my 10 year old cousin once caught me trying to hide a pack of condom I found in my brothers jacket while doing laundry,imagine the awkwardness I felt,so I decided to peel a sachet so I could blow air into it to trick his little mind,but guess what,he already knew what a condom was,he stopped me from doing that and told me that it was a condom point blank.
How did he know? I can only think of media,surely his parents havnt had this discussion with him yet,and am sure that's not the only thing he knew.
children tend to learn about sex way earlier than expected through different means,a parent-child communication about sex should be adopted more especially with kids who are of age,there should also be a lot of honesty between parents and kids,parents should instil in their childeren the sense of trust that they can discuss any issue with them no matter what it relates to,that way they have control over what their kids learn,and are sure that they are in the right path
Teaching the child the importance of having a healthy sexual life is important,use of condoms and birth control pills,help them understand the importance of making smart decisions about their lives,relationships and behaviours should they become sexually active,parents should equally teach their kids the importance of self esteem and respect for one another.
