Bunmi is a young girl in her teens with prospects of a bright future. She just finished writing her final exams(WAEC) and had hopes of going to the University someday.
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Unfortunately, she became pregnant. This was the start of many problems and the end of a possible higher education prospects.
Like Bunmi, there are many teenagers with unwanted pregnancies paying the price alone for negligence especially in Africa.
With a culture that frowns at abortion,they get stigmatized for becoming pregnant.
There is need for proper sex talk for teenage girls. Some of these parents shy away from giving proper explanation on sex talk to their wards. There is a need for an organization for girls(NGO) where they can be tutored and mentored.
Meanwhile, parents can use some of these methods to train these teenagers to avoid stories that touch. Teenage Pregnancy is something that can be prevented.
Get to Know their friends:
There is this family that encourages their kids to bring their friends(both opposite sex)home.
This way you can observe the friends they keep and caution them.
Be A Friend
Let your kids be able to confide in you. Be part of their happy and sad moments. Be their best friend,someone they can easily open up to.
Let them be able to tell you if a man or teenager is asking them for a relationship or sex.
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Compliment them
Tell them how beautiful they are, praise them when they do a task right. Share in their ideas, have a hanging out time with them.
Equip Them With Good Books
Buy them books on literature, finance, health, social responsibility, educative novels,history books and so on.
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Empower Them
After school classes and on weekends engage them in vocational skills. If you are in a particular business, let them join you after school. This way they can be properly equipped with skills and gradually they can build up their financial skills. This will be useful for them as they get older.
There won't be a need for them to resort to men for money.Train them and empower them with skills. The earlier, the better. Curb their idleness, engage them in productive activities and monitor them.
Training Programs
After the secondary school education, while they are at home awaiting their final exams
(WAEC)results.
Enrol them for vocational skills; computer classes, social media marketing,digital marketing, learning of different musical instruments, baking, farming,hairdressing,
beads making,events decorations and so on.
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Jobs
Let them do some jobs even if it's just for a month or two. Build them for responsibility and accountability.
They can apply for teaching jobs as assistant teachers. This can later be a career for them if they decide to pursue it.
The learning experience will help them in the long run. If in their teens, they can learn and acquire skills. Then by the mid-twenties, we should have young entrepreneurs, another plus to the employment industry.
Women play a vital role in our society. Training future women(teenagers) by empowering them with skills will go a long way to enlarge their capacity financially and socially.
What are your views about this topic?
Your comments and suggestions on how we can train responsible teenagers for the reality of adulthood will be deeply appreciated.
Thanks for your time.