ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that polarization does not accurately reflect the complexities of parents' understandings and management of their children's sexuality. It examines parents' ambivalence about teen sexuality, in general, and sexual abstinence, in particular. Research on sex education suggests that Americans hold polarized views on sex education and teen sexuality. Luker's (2006) study of the battles over sex education finds that, when it comes to teen sexuality, Americans are divided into two groups: sexual liberals and sexual conservatives. In this chapter, based on in-depth interviews with 64 American parents of teenagers, the author examines how parents of teenagers navigate the complex landscape of abstinence, personal responsibility, and sexual well-being in their sexuality lessons to their children. The author analysis suggests that abstinence is appealing to parents less for its moral message than its promise of psychological, physical, and financial well-being.
