Do you feel comfortable having "the talk" with your parents? Today 83% of teenagers feel uncomfortable talking to their parents about sex, while only 19% of parents feel the same.
If you feel secure talking with your parents about sex, do it.
t can be a little uncomfortable or embarrassing, but it's definitely worth having the conversation. Your parents and other adults you trust and feel secure with, can offer valuable knowledge and guidance. Today, children and teenagers are not only discussing sex with their parents, but benefiting enormously from having conversations they were hesitant to have in the first place. Most parents actually want to be able to advise their children and guide them in making informed decisions about sex and intimacy. Parents know it’s vital for teens to have reliable information and awareness during this period of change in their lives.
Unfortunately, some parents are unable to overcome their own discomfort about the topic. Instead of easing into conversation, they scold or punish their kids for raising the subject due to their own embarrassment. If you are not ready to talk about sex with your parents, turn to another adult that you trust. But you do not need to feel like you are alone.
83% of teenagers are afraid to ask their parents about sex. Yet 51% of teens actually do. Studies show that teens who talk with their parents about sex are less likely to get pregnant, because it’s more likely they will act responsibly and use contraception when they become sexually active. While 42% of parents said they’ve talked about saying “no” to their teens several times, regarding how to say “no” to sex, only 27% of teens agreed.
Making decisions about sex may be a very delicate and personal process, but there are several good reasons to involve your parents. They could help you determine whether you should start or continue a sexual relationship, based on a lot of life experience; they could help prevent pregnancy, sexual assault, and STDs, and can even support you during these complicated situations.
According to several Indian parents, sex education is unnecessary and avoidable. They like to pretend that it is best left unsaid, because they think that talking to their children about sex will encourage them to have sex. They think their children will someday find out what it is and what needs to be done, on their own. Making sex an unmentionable subject does not necessarily discourage children to have sex. Instead, it leads to a lot more problems.
It causes the segregation of genders since childhood. Indians are so obsessed with not letting their kids have sex, that any interaction between the two genders is frowned upon, with the worry that they become too familiar and start having sex. Girls are not supposed to have boy-friends and vice-versa. Teenage boys are attracted to girls but are never taught how to process their feelings and they often end up objectifying girls and women. Children who are sexually abused don't understand what's happening to them or how to inform their parents about it.
People in India still have a long way to go, when it comes to understanding the importance of consent. Each person works with their definition of what consent is. As a result, men don’t know how to take “no” for an answer and women are under the impression that virginity is associated with purity and anyone who's not a virgin is impure. Hence, rape victims are humiliated and often end up committing suicide. This leads to women keeping their guard up for sex, and men thinking it is their job to persuade or coax women into it.
Lack of sex education in Indian culture and around the world is destroying lives, mainly female lives.
Your parents were your age once, and they fully understand what it’s like being a teenager. Talk to them.