He presents these issues to a group of both parents and youth because he said building the lines of communication between them is the most important step in this process. He is there for only a few hours, so he hopes to build ongoing intergenerational relationships based on trust. Young people often have a hard time talking to their parents because they think they are out of touch, he said. And parents believe their children are secretive or taking too many risks. The goal is to help parents, some of whom have trouble talking openly about sex to their children.
Every parent can have problems broaching the subject with a child.
L. William Mitcham Jr., a counselor with Lutheran Family Services of North Carolina, Charlotte, who wrote the ELCA YouthTalk booklet on sexuality, admitted he had sweaty palms when he sat down with his children. In the same way, children have trouble voicing their concerns to any adult about sex. One solution is to allow them to write down questions anonymously on index cards. Despite the volatile or controversial issues that often arise during Martinson's sessions, he rarely receives criticism. But by and large that is a minority.