Based on in-depth interviews with 64 American parents of teenagers, I examine how parents navigate the complex landscape of abstinence, personal responsibility, and sexual well-being in their sexuality lessons to their children. Reflecting the dominance of the abstinence-only discourse, many parents expressed a sense of accountability to promote abstinence in their sexuality lessons to their children. At the same time, parents doubt that their children will remain abstinent until marriage. My analysis suggests that abstinence is appealing to parents less for its moral message than its promise of psychological, physical, and financial well-being. That is, despite their ambivalence, many parents promote abstinence because they hope it will keep their children safe and safeguard their futures.