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4th and Goal Commentary - April 17, 2001 Healthy Family Life Promotes Abstinence Among Teens  By Bill McCartney Cultivating a healthy marriage will keep you and your wife happier.  But, it could also help your kids avoid pre-marital sex! I'm Bill McCartney... It's 4TH and Goal! It's no secret that teens are more sexually active than ever before.  Everywhere you look, sex is being aggressively marketed to the younger generation.  And yet, out of this hormonally-charged battle, an interesting statistic has emerged.  A study conducted by the University of Chicago shows that, despite the fact that teens are by and large more sexually active than ever before, the ones who come from intact families are much more likely to practice abstinence until marriage.  Get this, guys.  The research indicates that the best demographic indicator for whether a teen is likely to abstain from sex is the condition of his or her parents' marriage. Men, the entertainment industry doesn't care whether or not you want your kids to remain sexually pure until marriage.  As long as there is an audience, it will continue to pump out material that can lure young minds into a world of heartache, unplanned pregnancy, sexually transmitted disease, and more. Men, if coming from a healthy home environment makes teens more likely to embrace abstinence, then let's strive to make our homes as affirming and appealing as possible!  There's no end to the ways we can model a positive marriage for our kids.  Do nice things for your wife - "just because" - once in a while.  Buy her flowers.  Take her out to dinner.  And when conflict arises, learn to handle each situation with patience, understanding, and humility.  Our kids will learn more from casually observing the way we interact with our wives on a daily basis than they ever could from a thousand stern lectures about the pitfalls of sexual promiscuity. In the end, there are so many reasons for us to cultivate stronger relationships with our spouses.  But, the fact that our kids are watching - and can benefit from our example - is one of the most compelling reasons of all. I'm Coach Bill McCartney. ************************************************************   Copyright (c) 2000 Promise Keepers. 4th and Goal - Coaching for Life's Tough Calls, with Bill McCartney, is a radio ministry of Promise Keepers. Heard on more than 470 outlets nationwide, 4th and Goal - Coaching for Life's Tough Calls, with Bill McCartney, is a 3-minute daily radio commentary providing men with a hope-filled approach to issues that men deal with every day. The program addresses vital topics such as parenting, the fatherless, teenage alienation, and marriage relationships, as well as reporting on breaking news and research related to men's daily interests.  4th and Goal transcripts are also available on the Internet. Copyright Issues:  E-mailed transcripts of 4th and Goal broadcasts may be re-transmitted by electronic mail, and individual printed copies of a particular 4th and Goal transcript may be copied and distributed, provided that each such copy contain the credit line shown below, and any such reproduction and distribution is not used for fundraising, or for a profit or other commercial purpose.  This permission does NOT extend to recording or other sound reproduction of any 4th and Goal broadcast.  4th and Goal broadcasts also may NOT be reproduced in any form on the World Wide Web or in broadcast media, print media or other media without express written permission.  Promise Keepers considers requests to reprint, transmit, or otherwise reproduce 4th and Goal (or portions thereof) in broadcast, print, or other media on a case-by-case basis; please contact Promise Keepers Media Relations at (303) 964-7777 or media@promisekeepers.org to submit a request. Any copying, re-transmission, distribution, printing, or other reproduction of 4th and Goal must contain the following credit line, in full, at the conclusion of the portion of 4th and Goal that is reproduced: Copyright (c) 2000-2001 Promise Keepers.  Reprinted with permission. "4th and Goal - Coaching for Life's Tough Calls," with Bill McCartney, is a radio ministry of Promise Keepers. Promise Keepers may withdraw or modify this grant of permission at any time.  "4th and Goal" is a trademark of Promise Keepers, a Colorado nonprofit corporation. http://www.4thandgoal.org http://www.promisekeepers.org