Second, we have a whole generation of young men who are confused in their own sexual identity. Are they supposed to be sensitive or aggressive? Leaders or helpers? Many young men today are not being taught how to treat a young lady with nobility, dignity, and respect. Many are growing up without a father or male figure to provide guidance. As a result, some of these young men have no idea how they "should" expect to be treated by a "real" young lady.

Third, the breakdown of the family has resulted in a whole generation of daughters who have been abandoned. And in the absence of a healthy, emotional attachment to their fathers and mothers, they're trying to fill their emotional gas tanks with the opposite sex.

Finally, there's little or no preparation for adolescence occurring among parents of preteens or early teens. This may be the core problem. When you ask parents of preteens how many of them would like their children to have the same experience they had in adolescence, there aren't many hands that go up. But those same parents often become increasingly detached as their children move into the adolescent years.

Teenagers need training to understand the culture, peer pressure, what's happening in them with their hormones, and what's happening with the opposite sex. That's why we have resources like Passport2Purity® and So You're About to Be a Teenager-to help parents ground their children in the Scripture that anchors their hearts to withstand the winds of culture and peer pressure.

Protecting Your Boys

There are six assumptions you need to make in training and educating your sons in how to handle aggressive girls:

Assumption #1: Young boys are clueless to a lot of what is going on around them. They need to be prepared for the reality of today's world, and this preparation needs to start while they are still boys. This is why I'd suggest that mothers and fathers talk with their 11- or 12-year-old sons about how they relate to the opposite sex before they face the temptation. There's a much greater probability of success if you can have these conversations before the hormones hit.

Assumption #2: Aggressive girls will likely come into your son's life. The problem is that most parents won't know it, because teenage boys don't talk about anything. But it could be taking place in your son's life and he's just not letting you know, so you have to pursue him in the process.

Assumption #3: You, as a parent, need a proactive plan. That plan will involve fathers and sons, but ...

Assumption #4: Moms, that plan needs to involve you. You know how girls think and you can help your son understand girls in ways that a father can't.

Assumption #5: With a son, instruction, teaching, and call to accountability don't end with the adolescent years. It continues into adulthood. (And in my opinion, it doesn't stop after they get married.) Why? Because there are women who are still preying upon men who are married and every man needs an older man in his life who is asking him "Remember those conversations we had, Son? You're a married man now, but that does not exempt you from temptation. How are you doing with that?"