Love Notes 4.1 592 of 600

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Copyright 2025 Marline E. Pearson
Answer if you are Expecting or Parenting (if not, go to
next page)
Ask your TA, teacher, or leader for assistance in linking to support.
Who is your go-to person (or who could it be) for questions about the pregnancy
and baby?
Is there a family center or a young parents’ group in your area that offers workshops and support? Ask your
teacher, group leader, or the staff at your local library, community, or public health center for resources on
how to best nurture your child’s development. (e.g., ZeroToThree.org, Parents.com, Fatherhood.gov, and
the CDC are good starting places). Resources I found:
Flip back and look at your response on page 51 about your relationship reality. Is your relationship safe? If
not, are you getting help to leave safely?
If you and your partner want a future, what do each of you need to work on? (For example: work on
communication skills, deepen our friendship, have more fun together, attend a relationship skills workshop,
finish my schooling, find employment, stay sober, etc.)
How will your child benefit if you can cooperate? See handouts When Parents Aren’t Together (13e) and
Child Support (13d).
How will waiting on a 2nd child until your life is more settled benefit you and your child?
success
planning

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(c)  2025 The Dibble Institute. All Rights reserved.

Extracted Text (may have errors)

53
Copyright 2025 Marline E. Pearson
Answer if you are Expecting or Parenting (if not, go to
next page)
Ask your TA, teacher, or leader for assistance in linking to support.
Who is your go-to person (or who could it be) for questions about the pregnancy
and baby?
Is there a family center or a young parents’ group in your area that offers workshops and support? Ask your
teacher, group leader, or the staff at your local library, community, or public health center for resources on
how to best nurture your child’s development. (e.g., ZeroToThree.org, Parents.com, Fatherhood.gov, and
the CDC are good starting places). Resources I found:
Flip back and look at your response on page 51 about your relationship reality. Is your relationship safe? If
not, are you getting help to leave safely?
If you and your partner want a future, what do each of you need to work on? (For example: work on
communication skills, deepen our friendship, have more fun together, attend a relationship skills workshop,
finish my schooling, find employment, stay sober, etc.)
How will your child benefit if you can cooperate? See handouts When Parents Aren’t Together (13e) and
Child Support (13d).
How will waiting on a 2nd child until your life is more settled benefit you and your child?
success
planning

Help

54
Copyright 2025 Marline E. Pearson
My Life with Technology and Social Media
The tools of the digital age can help us in so many ways—and they can also have
negative effects on our relationships, our health, and achieving our goals. To gain the
benefits of what this technology has to offer us today and avoid some of the pitfalls
and risks, it helps to be intentional.
What are your plans to be in control of your use of technology vs. technology controlling you? How can you
use it and not have it interfere with your relationships, your health, and achieving your goals? Be specific about
your intentions on what you use, how much, and for what purposes. Think about:
Texting (when, how much, what purpose)
Social Media (which apps, how you use them, what controls you can set or rules for yourself)
Gaming (how will you balance your time enjoying it with other activities?)
Sexting (your own rules, how you’d handle being pressured)
Pornography (what have you decided about your own personal policy regarding pornography)
success
planning

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52
Copyright 2025 Marline E. Pearson
Decide, Don’t Slide, Into Sex
The more you define a personally meaningful context and timing for sex for yourself, the
more you decide for yourself your boundaries, the more you decide how you want to pace
any intimate involvement, and the more you plan for the choices you make, the likelier
you are to achieve your goals. Reflect on all you’ve learned that can help you in your sexual
decision-making.
(For example: I will wait for the love chemicals to settle a bit before getting too involved I will be upfront about my
values, my boundaries, and how I want to pace things I will pay attention to how I am treated, how we communicate
and handle differences consider the 6 parts of intimacy, we will agree to take responsibility to avoid STDs/HIV and/or
pregnancy and follow one of the pathways to success, discuss our answer to Getting on the Same Page).
What are your decisions? Spell out your intentions. How will you know if you’re on the same page?
Avoiding STIs and/or Pregnancy, if Sexually Involved
Testing: Have you both been tested and shared results?
Condom use: Do you have agreement to use correctly and consistently to reduce your risks?
Form of birth control and schedule for taking/using:
Same Page: Are you and your partner on the same page and both taking responsibility? Describe how you
will work as a team to reduce your risk for STIs/HIV and or avoid pregnancy and honor the principles of sexual
consent on an ongoing basis.
success
planning

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(c)  2025 The Dibble Institute. All Rights reserved.

Extracted Text (may have errors)

Help

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