Positive Mother-Teen Relationship: While much has been written in the popular literature about the importance of parents and fathers in teen well-being, there has been little focus on the role of mothers. Yet, the scholarly research is plentiful that an adolescent's relationship with his or her mother is pivotal in determining whether he or she engages in teen sex and other risky behaviors. A growing body of information is available about the ways that a mother socializes her children according to her personal beliefs, cultural norms and religious values.

For instance, numerous studies indicate that mothers communicate more often with their children than do fathers. Ideally, beliefs are based on a solid foundation of reason and logical consistency, but the motivation to internalize those beliefs is an emotional response. When a father and mother work together in parenting, children internalize both sound reasons for appropriate behavior and the emotional strength to withstand external pressures to conform to societal trends.

With overwhelming evidence about "what works" in protecting our children from the harmful results of early sexual activity, those who truly care about their children ought to make church involvement a priority. Far too many parents focus on providing material benefits and forget that they need to meet their children's spiritual needs. If we as parents don't feed their souls, they will seek to fill that emptiness with drugs, alcohol or sex -- or they will turn to the dozens of other ways teens mess up their lives seeking a parental and faith substitute.

Dr. Janice Shaw Crouse is a Senior Fellow of Concerned Women for America’s  Beverly LaHaye Institute. She writes about contemporary issues that affect women, family, religion and culture in her regular column "Dot.Commentary."