Nathalie Bartle with Susan Lieberman

About the author: Nathalie Bartle is an adolescent psychologist and associate professor at Allegheny University of the Health Sciences, School of Public Health, in Philadelphia. Susan Lieberman, the author of The Real High School Handbook, is the director of Leadership Rice, a student-led mentor program at Rice University in Houston.

Despite their best intentions, some teens may not be willing to wait until they are married to have sex. The decision to have sex is an adult one. Although there is no "right" age at which a person is ready to have sex, there are some characteristics that indicate whether a person has developed the emotional and intellectual maturity necessary to have a healthy and satisfying sexual relationship. If teens are unwilling or...