Jade, a woman in her late 30’s,
wants to give her preteen daughter, Michelle, an informative talk about having
sex. Jade was originally concerned to
give a sex talk because she did not want to seem as if she were encouraging her
daughter to engage in sexual activity. However,
she did some of her own research and found a study that showed that sexual
education programs geared towards teens have helped delay sexual activity, decrease
the number of sexual partners, and an increase use of condoms and
contraceptives (What the Research Tells Us, 2008). Jade decides to have the sex conversation at a
fast-food restaurant after she picks Michelle up from school.
Jade takes one last sip of her
soft drink before having one of the most important conversations she would ever
have with her daughter. Jade tries to
make sure that the information she is about to share is straightforward to
avoid any misunderstandings. Michelle continues
eating her French fries without any idea that her mother has something
important to tell her. Jade casually
starts the conversation by asking Michelle about her day. Michelle rambles on
about soccer practice, her hysterical teacher, and then about a boy named Troy
she had met a couple of weeks ago. Jade ceases the moment and asks Michelle
what she thought relationships were all about. Michelle, baffled by the question, hesitates
before answering Jade. Michelle tells
her mother that a relationship only happens when two people are in love. Jade then asks her daughter about what made a
relationship strong and healthy. Michelle responds that in a relationship, as
long as the two people were in love, everything should be fine. Jade finally
asks her daughter about the meaning of sex. Although Michelle feels a little awkward
discussing the topic, Jade takes initiative of the conversation before they
both shy away. Jade begins explaining to Michelle the structure of the female
genitals. Jade uses the proper
terminology such as vagina and penis. She
explains to Michelle the procedure that allows the sperm to reach the egg. Jade also explains the importance of the using
a condom such as preventing unplanned pregnancies and different sexually
transmitted diseases. She explains to
Michelle that there are different types of contraceptives that help prevent a
pregnancy. Jade lets Michelle know the
best way to avoid a pregnancy is by not being sexually involved at all. Jade ends the conversation by stating that
having sexual intercourse may be one of the most beautiful things a human being
may experience. However, having sexual
intercourse is something that should always be done responsibly because the
negative consequences outweigh the positive consequences.
What the
Research Tells Us. (2008). SIECUS. Retrieved from http://www.communityactionkit.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=page.viewPage&pageId=887
