Excerpt from the Revised & Updated Edition of

My Feet Aren't Ugly

"Is there a price to pay?? YES!!! Pregnancy or getting a sexually transmitted disease (STD), having to tell the man you love and want to marry that you have had many sexual partners, that you have a sexually transmitted disease that he is going to get, and that you'll both have it the rest of your lives! And then there's living with an STD. Absolutely there is a price to pay. Sexuality is big! It is such an important link to our self esteem."

I remember being a teen and I felt invincible. That invincibility came from not knowing better, not quite being mature enough.  As a teen we very seldom ever think about the outcome of a lot of things. We see fun and we run with it, and rightly so, fun is fun!  As we start to mature, we start to realize that some of our actions have not so fun outcomes.  Then the process of weighing out the odds comes in.  If I do this, this might happen. If I have sex with a guy, I might get pregnant, or I might get a sexually transmitted disease. "Hmm...maybe I won't have sex". There is going to be a life time of having to make decisions that will affect you either positivity or negatively. It's Your Choice. Pregnancy, not a small obstacle at a young age, or getting a STD is a life changing situation.  The beauty about this is that you have complete control over your actions. You have the choice whether you're going to be sexually active and if it's really worth it.  I mentor so many teens that have been sexually active and realize what is at stake. Every time you do something that's not in your best interest, that's not going to empower you, your self esteem takes a hit. Remember our goal here is to be empowered. With every choice we make, we make the choice to strengthen our self esteem or to lower it. I know, you know that you have the power to create any kind of life you want, you just have to think about it and think about what it will take to get there. Then take the actions required to get there. All girls want to be empowered young women creating our own life.