obesity. Let’s say a three hundred pound man goes to the doctor. He explains
that he has no control over his diet. He eats too much food and the type of
food that he eats is generally fried or sweet and his high in cholesterol,
saturated fats and caffeine. After hearing the list of terrible eating habits
the doctor says to him, “I think you should read this book about how to
prevent obesity and also I want you to start drinking diet Coke instead of
regular Coke.”
We would be outraged if a doctor took such a flippant
attitude toward a patient who should be treated with respect and dignity. We
all know that proper exercise and a balanced diet is the key to losing weight
and being physically fit. How would we react if the doctor replied to our anger
by saying, “We all know that this man is going to eat what he isn’t
supposed to eat. It is ridiculous to think that we can change his behavior.
What we need is more obesity education and we also need to offer him some
protection from his bad choices. That is why I switched him from regular Coke
to diet Coke.”
Do you realize that is exactly the strategy we are employing
with our teenagers regarding their sexual choices? We see our teens leading
physically and emotionally destructive lifestyles. Broken families cause low
self-esteem. Low self-esteem leads teens to seek acceptance and fulfillment
from their peer group. Their peer group encourages them to try drugs, binge
drinking and sexual exploration.
