Finally. Some good news.

I read a lot of newspapers online everyday, and the headlines have not been pretty lately. “US Diplomats Attacked in Zimbabwe” “Continental Airlines to Cut Jobs” “Boy Drowns While Napping in Carolina” Don’t even get me started on the local crime report. Or OMG! Gas prices! And then I stumbled upon this: “Risky Behavior Declines Among Teens.”

As the mother of a boy who will be 15 this summer, this comes as very welcome news. The report, which comes from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), says that fewer adolescents are drinking, smoking and having sex than their counterparts did in 1991. The report actually said that TEENS ARE STARTING TO ACT MORE REPSONSIBLY. Which I’m pretty sure is one of the first signs of the apocalypse.

Still, there are some concerns. Most notably, that the risks are not decreasing for Hispanic teens, who use drugs and attempt suicide at a higher rate than their black and white classmates, and that condom use overall is on the decline. I’m no expert on Hispanic youths, but I have read a bit about sex education programs and I have come to my own personal conclusion that ABSTINENCE-ONLY SEX EDUCATION PROGRAMS DO NOT WORK.

Morality issues aside, I just don’t know what makes adults think they’re ever going to put an end to teens having sex. I’m not crazy about the idea, but I try to be realistic. And I don’t believe that it sends the wrong message to say, “I don’t think you’re ready for a sexual relationship, but if you do get into one, USE THESE.” The important thing is that you talk to your teens - talk early & talk often. Because maybe you believe sex before marriage is really, really bad. But you know what I think is really bad? Teenage parents.

See the CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) site for more information.