- Introduction
Friendship …
Love …
Premarital sex …
Dating …
Going steady …
Marriage …
Family …
Pornography …
Masturbation …
Homosexuality …
Abortion …
Contraception …
These are some of the issues that young people may face as they grow up. This book presents a consistent set of underlying principles and values to deal with these inter-related topics comprehensively. Here is a quick overview of the chapters for a better perspective and sense of direction.
Chapter One on adolescence and maturation sets the issues discussed within the context of teenagers growing up and facing new challenges to develop themselves so as to become mature and responsible persons. It deals with what it means to be a mature adult, some learning tasks for the teenager, developing self-esteem and valuing oneself, and the meaning of freedom.
Relationship, Love and Sexuality in Chapter Two helps readers to understand that there are different types of relationships, and clarifies some words that are often misunderstood and misused. This chapter also explains how boys and girls differ, and how these differences affect their behaviour.
Questions that teenagers often have on dating and interacting with the opposite sex are answered in the third chapter. These include the purpose of dating, single and group dating, going steady, qualities to look for in a friend, and parental objections to dating.
The fourth chapter looks at marriage, which is much more than the mere contract it is sometimes seen as. This chapter focuses on the qualities needed for a marriage to succeed, and gives suggestions on how teenagers can prepare themselves for marriage later on in life.
Chastity, The Forgotten Virtue in Chapter Five explores the meaning and purpose of sex. This chapter discusses sexual activity within and outside marriage, describes sexually transmitted diseases, and also deals with the issues of pornography, masturbation and homosexuality.
The growth and development of the baby in the mother’s womb is described in the sixth chapter, which provides the basis for further discussion in the next two chapters.
Chapter Seven reveals what abortion really is, how abortions are performed, and the complications that may arise from abortion. It discusses the reasons often given to justify abortion, and describes an alternative to abortion.
The last chapter looks at artificial birth control as well as natural family planning. It explains how they work, and their advantages and disadvantages.
Cases are given at the end of the book for teenagers to discuss with friends. These exercises draw on ideas presented throughout the book, and are intended to help readers to reflect on their own attitudes and values.
