How common were teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases

Introduction to Willing to Wait

When teenagers around the country were asked what makes the biggest difference in their sexual decision making, they reported that their parents were the single most influential factor!1 Research shows teens want their parents/guardians to talk with them about sex.2 We think that’s very significant, and that’s why we encourage parent dialogue in this program.

Willing to Wait (W2W) is a sexual risk avoidance program that will be taught to your teen over the next several days or weeks. The W2W program is comprehensive and stresses the benefits of waiting until marriage before having sex. The curriculum meets state requirements and teaches skills to assist teens in building healthy, satisfying relationships without the risks of non-marital sex.

We hope that you will take advantage of this opportunity to listen to your teen’s viewpoints on these subjects and, in turn, share your values and wisdom with your teen.

We have included an outline of the material that will be covered in class with your teen, along with interview questions for your teen to ask you and highlights from the lessons. We hope this handbook equips you to have conversations with your teen about how to achieve their best health.

References for endnotes are available at willingtowait.com.