How to talk to your parents about sex
Your parents probably know a lot more about sex than you think, so try asking them about it
Yep, we said it. You can have a conversation with your parents or guardians about ‘the birds and the bees’. In fact, we encourage it! You’ll be surprised how much they might know about it. They didn’t just have sex to create you, you know. Trust us on that one.
While you may not want to know the intimate details of their sexual encounters, they might well be the best untapped resource of knowledge about fumbling around. And perhaps more importantly, all the other issues which surround sex itself.
Why is it a good idea? Because they know about it, you can trust them with secrecy, and perhaps most importantly, they care about you and your best interests.
While we’re not going to guide you towards what to ask them – as we’re sure you have plenty of your own questions – perhaps we can advise you best on how to approach the subject with your folks?
🐥 Ask questions one at a time, rather than unloading a list of them all at once
🐝 Start by acknowledging how awkward* the situation is – they’ll probably be feeling awkward too!
🐥 Pick a time and a place – i.e. not when they’re busy or about to run out of the door
🐝 Prepare what you want to ask – the conversation could go off on a frustrating tangent if you’re not sure what you really want from them
🐥 Ask questions without making them super personal. You can talk about sex in general terms, rather than necessarily about your personal relationship with it
*The awkwardness of the conversation is probably the main reason why people avoid having conversations about sex with their parents, but as this video from CUT shows the awkwardness can often be trumped by laughter. Which, of course, is no bad thing.
But hey, if you really feel like you can’t turn to your parents or guardians for advice about sex, a good starting place to look for sexual advice is with NHS Choices.
