I started these discussions when I accidentally overheard my sister Kathy, and her friend, Michelle, talking about a 'slut' that one of their friends was dating.
Also, she is a virgin (her friend is, too), so I wanted to show her how important it is to hold onto that purity. I felt that it was my responsibility to pass the philosophy of abstinence on to my sister because I know that she will not get it in the 'going to do it anyway' program that is used at her high school. Sure, I have always known what the word meant, but I had never considered it an option for me, until recently. I wanted to inform my 14-year-old sister Kathy about something that I unfortunately just began to take seriously: abstinence. I recently completed a graduate course in character education in which we were required to carry out an 'action project.' For my project I chose to use character-based sex education to try to instill in my younger sister and her friend the self-respect, self-control, and courage needed to lead moral, fulfilling, and healthy lives.