Moms say don’t; teens hear ok

Researchers interviewed more than 5,000 kids who identified themselves as virgins. Then they returned to the teens one year later to see if they had had sex.

It matters to all teens, the report concluded, if they know their mothers strongly believe they shouldn’t have sex. Teens are more likely to delay sex ‘‘when they perceive that their mother strongly disapproves,’’ the Minnesota report states.

About 85 per cent of the mothers surveyed said they strongly disapproved of their kids having sex ‘‘at this time.’’ But when their children were interviewed, almost half of the boys and about one-third of the girls said they thought their mothers didn’t disapprove.

Most mothers also told surveyors that they talked to their children about sex. While mothers discussed sex more often with their daughters, they were more comfortable doing so with their sons, and twice as likely to recommend specific forms of birth control to sons than to daughters.

‘‘I think there’s an element of the double standard here,’’ Robert Blum, a pediatrician and co-author of the report, said in an interview prior to the news conference. ‘‘The message to girls is: ‘Don’t do this, (sex) is going to affect your reputation, your future’ and to the boys it is ‘You better protect yourself’.’’ Panelist Amie McLain, a sophomore at Howard University, offered another reason why mothers might feel less sure of themselves with their daughters: They’re on their own. (LATWP)