Abstract
Nineteen focus groups were conducted with parents of secondary students in Australia about important messages they give at home regarding sexual behavior and sexual responsibility. Parents indicated that sexuality is an important part of their children's lives and they want their own children to be better informed than they were as adolescents. They believe it is both unethical and futile to try to dictate the sexual decisions of their children; instead they strive to provide them with the knowledge and skills to make informed choices. Both fathers and mothers clearly value sex within relationships over casual sex, and encourage their children to protect themselves and others when engaging in sexual behavior. They expressed appreciation of school sexuality education programs and said they made it easier to talk about sex at home. There was strong support for safer sex messages in schools and in the media. Most opposed abstinence-until-marriage messages, explaining not only why they wouldn't work but what consequences could be expected.
