One of our duties as a community newspaper is to report on and illuminate relevant, topical issues.

This is our goal with a new two-part series called “Student life: let’s talk about sex.” We interviewed parents, teens, teachers, and physicians to get the scoop on the reality of being young and having sex, what resources are available, and what parents can do.

We hope our reporting sparks conversation between parents and their kids. Understanding sexuality helps kids deal with their feelings and with peer pressure. It helps them take charge of their lives and have loving relationships.

We think the most important place to learn about sex is at home. If we can help our children feel good about their sexuality from the very beginning, then they are more likely to trust us enough to ask questions about sex later on in life.

We hope our coverage of this topic will help open the door for a conversation between parents and their children. It might be uncomfortable, but your kids will thank you later on.

We welcome your input and feedback on our series. Email us at editor@islandssounder.com.