Sex seems to be synonymous with Dirty, Forbidden, Wrong. Growing up in a very traditional household it wasn't discussed at all. We were never encouraged to to ask questions or told it was okay to be curious and explore. Aside from a girl scout badge about becoming a "teen" and a truly horrendous 6 week "health class" in the fourth grade it was never touched upon. In both of those cases it was more about changing bodies and hormones or "warning" us of the dangers of unprotected sex than anything else. Abstinence was the preferred opinion. Going into High School, of course I knew what it was, growing up in today's world you can't turn on the TV or pick up a book with out some reference to sex even indirectly. It was the same *cough 10-15 cough* years ago. So while I certainly had 0 experience at 14, I had the general idea but was by no means an expert. Although at the time I didn't feel naive, that came later. Again though, and granted I went to a catholic High School, there was no outlet readily available to ask questions or just TALK about sex. Other than a brief stint in health class where we were "scared straight" with graphic images of STI's and taught abstinence, that was it. Wikipedia wasn't around yet and Google certainly wasn't popular. There were very few if any forums or online discussions. At least that I was made aware of. Which is sort of the point. If the limited resources that were available in the late 90's weren't made aware to me, where did my parents and adults in general think I was getting my information. Or which is more likely the case did they keep it from me in some antiquated version of logic? Did they think keeping me in the dark was better for me?
Monday, August 20, 2012
Let's talk about sex Baby....Part 1
Sex can mean any number of things to people. The difference between Male and Female, the "act" of sex. But to most of society its a dirty word or something that shouldn't be discussed outside of one's intimate relationships, if at all.
Sex seems to be synonymous with Dirty, Forbidden, Wrong. Growing up in a very traditional household it wasn't discussed at all. We were never encouraged to to ask questions or told it was okay to be curious and explore. Aside from a girl scout badge about becoming a "teen" and a truly horrendous 6 week "health class" in the fourth grade it was never touched upon. In both of those cases it was more about changing bodies and hormones or "warning" us of the dangers of unprotected sex than anything else. Abstinence was the preferred opinion. Going into High School, of course I knew what it was, growing up in today's world you can't turn on the TV or pick up a book with out some reference to sex even indirectly. It was the same *cough 10-15 cough* years ago. So while I certainly had 0 experience at 14, I had the general idea but was by no means an expert. Although at the time I didn't feel naive, that came later. Again though, and granted I went to a catholic High School, there was no outlet readily available to ask questions or just TALK about sex. Other than a brief stint in health class where we were "scared straight" with graphic images of STI's and taught abstinence, that was it. Wikipedia wasn't around yet and Google certainly wasn't popular. There were very few if any forums or online discussions. At least that I was made aware of. Which is sort of the point. If the limited resources that were available in the late 90's weren't made aware to me, where did my parents and adults in general think I was getting my information. Or which is more likely the case did they keep it from me in some antiquated version of logic? Did they think keeping me in the dark was better for me?
Sex seems to be synonymous with Dirty, Forbidden, Wrong. Growing up in a very traditional household it wasn't discussed at all. We were never encouraged to to ask questions or told it was okay to be curious and explore. Aside from a girl scout badge about becoming a "teen" and a truly horrendous 6 week "health class" in the fourth grade it was never touched upon. In both of those cases it was more about changing bodies and hormones or "warning" us of the dangers of unprotected sex than anything else. Abstinence was the preferred opinion. Going into High School, of course I knew what it was, growing up in today's world you can't turn on the TV or pick up a book with out some reference to sex even indirectly. It was the same *cough 10-15 cough* years ago. So while I certainly had 0 experience at 14, I had the general idea but was by no means an expert. Although at the time I didn't feel naive, that came later. Again though, and granted I went to a catholic High School, there was no outlet readily available to ask questions or just TALK about sex. Other than a brief stint in health class where we were "scared straight" with graphic images of STI's and taught abstinence, that was it. Wikipedia wasn't around yet and Google certainly wasn't popular. There were very few if any forums or online discussions. At least that I was made aware of. Which is sort of the point. If the limited resources that were available in the late 90's weren't made aware to me, where did my parents and adults in general think I was getting my information. Or which is more likely the case did they keep it from me in some antiquated version of logic? Did they think keeping me in the dark was better for me?
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