But for many the family structure has broken down and there is no one to replace the guidance of older family members. Monica believes that, ideally, young people should be able to turn to their parents. Instead, they often turn to ill-informed friends who only add to the confusion. While adults around them are busy being angry, adolescents are afraid. Fear of censure, shame, embarrassment and guilt makes any problems worse.
Parents are often uneasy discussing sex, reproduction and related health concerns.
It may seem safer to look towards an idealized past than to see young people as sexual beings. Or it may seem that the right thing to do is what has always been done. But the time has never existed when pregnancy occurred only in marriage, all pregnancy was wanted, and fidelity was protection from sexually transmitted disease. Meanwhile, these not-quite adults are facing adult decisions under circumstances that often differ dramatically from the past. Collectively, these decisions impact the future for individuals, families, communities and countries of the world.