How To Talk To Your Parents About Sex
Written by: Renee BlackStar
Illustration by: Jakob Hinrichs
Talk about a tough topic. When I was young, I would have rather pulled my teeth out one by one with a rusty pair of pliers than talk to my parents about sex. It is undoubtedly one of the most uncomfortable conversations you can have with your parents. Even to this day, I just don’t have that open kind of a relationship with them that I would bring the topic of sex up in any conversation… and I’m thirty! And it goes both ways. Just as much as I would rather not have to sit and listen to my mom tell me about her sexual encounters (yuck, I cringe at the thought of having to endure such a thing), I’m sure she feels exactly the same way. And that’s okay for us because that’s the kind of relationship we have.
Just tell them that you’re curious about sex and you’d like to learn more about it.
Let me put it this way: you know your own parents better than a stranger ever could. So, it would be insensitive of me to throw out a guideline on what you should do and how you should do it knowing that it might not work in everyone’s situation. You know which discussions work with your parents and which ones have a better chance of turning into a catastrophic event. It just depends on what kind of relationship you share with them and the level of communication that you have with one another.
Some of you may have fairly conservative parents: the type that get squeamish just hearing the word “sex” or get nervous watching movies containing sexual content when they know you’re in the room. If you know your mom or dad would probably suffer a light heart attack if you brought up the topic of sex, it might be a good alternative to talk to a friend or a close relative, or someone who you feel comfortable sharing your personal business with and that you trust will give you usable advice on the matter.
When I was young, I would have rather pulled my teeth out one by one with a rusty pair of pliers than talk to my parents about sex.
If you have free spirited, “let’s talk about everything under the sun” kind of parents, the task at hand should be a fairly easy one to accomplish. Just tell them that you’re curious about sex and you’d like to learn more about it. It’s oftentimes an easier conversation to have with your parents if you approach them before you actually do the deed. If you’ve already had the experience, and you would like to discuss it with them after the fact, that might be a rockier road to travel. But, don’t be discouraged. You do have options. There are numerous resources that you can turn to for up-to-date information and advice regarding sex, the anatomy of it, birth control, sexually transmitted diseases, and abstinence. Information is only a website away!
