How should I talk to my parents?

[BallastGirl]

Equally important to talking to your partner is being able to have a conversation with your parents. How have you been doing this if you have? Need tips.

[getSTDtested Administrator]

Well, all parents are different and have different opinons about sex, but what all parents have in common is that their child's health and safety is the most important thing. Chances are your parents are thinking about talking to you too, but just like you, they're nervous! Talking about sex can be uncomfortable, but having an open dialogue about sex with your parents is both healthy and helpful. You have to decide what is the right conversation for your family, but whatever it is, your parents should respect you for taking responsibility for your health and well-being and will also appreciate that you trust them enough to talk to them about your life. Let me know if there's something specific you're trying to communicate with your parents and I'd be happy to help you think of some ways to get the conversation started with them!

[Frances]

I know Will Smith said "parents just don't understand," but I recently talked to my mom about going on birth control and she was actually really awesome and it was good to be able to talk to her about these things! She made sure I knew how to protect myself and I feel like having that conversation was really good for our relationship!

[Zelda]

From the American Social Health Association's Askable Parent booklet:

Here are some traits of an askable parent. Check off phrases that describe you.
An askable parent:

* Shows respect, value and love for children.
* Realizes that every difficult situation is not a crisis.
* Wants communication, but doesn't expect to have all the answers.
* Knows the most important part of communication is listening.
* Doesn't laugh when a child asks a question, even in reaction to the child's cuteness.
* Doesn't expect to be perfect, and knows that admitting mistakes is a valuable lesson for the child.
* Is sometimes embarrassed by questions about sex but acknowledges the discomfort and explains it to the child.

Children are more likely to talk to an approachable parent. If you check all seven answers,
you are very askable.

[Erich Remarque]

Zelda, that all sounds really good and I think it's helpful, but I suspect for many parents there's a lot of difficulty in coming to grips with the fact their kids are, or one day will be, sexually active! Burying the head in the sand, you know.

[Troy]

Zelda, is there a link for that?