Too Young to be a Dad

In this generation, there are many reasons to why people feel pressure to have sex. For boys, the pressure mainly comes from their friends. It seems to me that guys have a tough guy persona around their friends. Sometimes, these guys will do anything to keep that persona and impress their friends, even if it means having sex. If a teen boys has an older brother, he may hear and see his brother talking about or acting as if sex is what the older kids do ll the time. This puts the idea in the younger brother's mind that if my big brother is doing, then I should be doing it, too.

For girls, I think the pressure to have sex comes from their partner. To the boys, sex may not be as big of a deal as it is to girls. Girls tend to be more emotional and think of things differently. They most likely think of their first time as being something special with the person they love. But boys just want to impress their friends or prove they are as smooth with the ladies as they brag to be. Also, some girls have friends that pressure them into having sex. Usually though, girls have supportive friends that do not force them into a situation, yet instead, they help her choose the right decisions.

Also, the media plays a huge role in teens' lives. Nowadays, everyone seems to watch TV in their spare time or browse the internet. In movies, TV shows, and ads on the side bars of some websites, sex is being promoted or shown as a casual and harmless activity. This reference makes teens believe it is okay and safe, nothing to be worried about. Shows like Gossip Girl or The O.C. show the characters having sex with a friend and then meeting up with a different guy/girl that same night. The media, unfortunately, has an immense influence over teens.

Drugs and alcohol also play a huge role in teens' decisions to have sex. When under the influence, inhibitions are lost, meaning normal standards and limits no longer exist. So if someone were to advance on you at a party, you think nothing of partaking in sexual activities you normally wouldn't. People are cruel enough to take advantage of others that are clearly intoxicated and have no sense of judgement. That's when people have sex and the results could be an unplanned pregnancy. Other times, people purposefully put drugs or slip alcohol into another person's drink to get them high or drunk. Drinking or using drugs seriously handicapps your ability to make clear and sound decisions. Both boys and girls could be pressured to drink or do drugs by their friends. As a result, any of the things listed above could follow.

I think the GREAT Decision Making Model is better than the thinking/acting=deciding method. This method seems as if a person would just let someone take control of them because they are taking the passive approach. If you let people trample all over you, you could be forced to take part in sexual activity you don't want to, which could reslt in pregnancy. If you let chance and fate decide what happens to you, you might not get the end results you want. Even if you choose to have sex actively, did you really think through all of the consequences that would result from this decision? The GREAT Decision Making Model is truly the best because you have to stop, think every possible choice through, pick one, and reflect on your decision later. By using this method, you are consciously accepting the consequences that come with each action and thinking about it after it has occurred. I make decisions using the GREAT Decision Making Model, even if I do not think of each step before making the deicisions. I have to think of all my choices and the results of each before I can decide what is best. Otherwise, I think I would end up regreting a decision I make or wonder why I didn't pick another choice. The GREAT Decision Making Model gives me reasons to why I picked the choice I did. Unless you stand up for yourself and think all your choices through, the best possible deicisions cannot be made.