My mom recently bought me my first sex toy. Yes, you heard that right, my own mother. While some people may find this strange, I see it as something more parents should be doing, in addition to talking about sex in general. My mom and I have always been very close and talking about things like sex with her have never made me uncomfortable, but most people do not feel the same.
According to a 2012 nationwide survey, only 50% of teens feel uncomfortable talking to their parents about sex. Additionally, a shocking 34% of teens say that they have never or only once talked to their parents about sex.
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But why is this? According to another study, 83% of teens say they are worried about their parents reaction, which is why they are not open about sexual health issues. Additionally, 77% said they just don’t know how to bring the topic up. For these reasons and more, people are uncomfortable talking to their parents about anything sex related, which can be a huge problem. Understanding things like how to have safe sex and understanding consent are incredibly important, but not talked about enough.
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So, what can you do to change this? GirlsHealth recommends starting out the conversation with less awkward questions, such as “when did you start to date,” then moving your way up to more personal and complicated ones. You can also do a little research of your own and use that as a starting point. Coming in with facts you’ve found can be incredibly helpful, especially if you have conservative parents who believe in old myths about sex. For example, I have a friend whose mom thinks that if you take birth control when you are younger that it prevents you from ever having kids, even after you stop taking it (yes, really).
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Women are extremely likely to talk to their friends about their sex lives, so why can’t we feel the same way about having these conversations with our moms? They likely have much more knowledge on the subject than your friend Jessica who has had sex once in her life. For example, I talked to my mom before I started taking birth control and she told me about a bad experience she had on one type so I was able to inform my doctor since medications can have similar effects on family members.
Remember to always practice safe sex and consent, collegiettes!