Sharon Rossignoli has seen a lot in her over 30 years as the District Coordinator and Manager for the “Pregnant and Parenting Teen” program at Reading High School.
As a board member of the Berks Teens Matter Leadership Committee, Sharon shares her first-hand wisdom and experience that she’s gained not only in her job, but also having raised two children.
We recently asked our leadership board members to share with us why Berks Teens Matter is important to them and this is what Sharon had to say.
“After working with pregnant and parenting teens for almost 35 years, I feel the work that BTM is trying to accomplish is invaluable for our community. Not only do I work with pregnant and parenting teens in the community, but I live here. These teens need and want information that is factual so they can make responsible, informed decisions. My career has provided this information/education to them, but after the fact! How wonderful would it be to be put out of a job for lack of clients. That is my Utopia!
It seems absolutely incredible to me that in the 21st century and after 3 decades, my job is being questioned and I’m asked “So what is the need?”.
The teens and their parents have a huge amount of need to be able to talk openly and honestly, together about sexual health. Having a trusted adult, such as a parent or better yet, both parents, helps a teen son or daughter navigate the world of sexual health. It’s daunting. BTM needs to be able to flourish and continue, in order to help accomplish this task!”
Sharon says many parents and guardians hesitate in talking to their kids about sex because they think it means they are giving them permission to have sex. She thinks that couldn’t be further from the truth. “What you are really saying is, ‘I’m giving you permission to be responsible’,” Sharon says. “They need to get the information from you, the parent.”
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