SEX TALK

When dealing with teenagers, many parents often try and underplay the subject of sex. The subject is often briefly touched upon and then left to their own imaginations. We hope that we can protect our teenagers from the ‘nasty’ world out there. Truth of the matter is, teenagers are interested in sex and we need to talk openly and honestly about it. Teenagers want to know about their bodies, the changes, stuff going on inside their heads. This is an area where teenagers should not get by with a minimum amount of information.

Often teenagers will not ask their parents for advice either. They need to go somewhere where they can get a quick response without worrying about harassment or being ridiculed. So where do they go for answers? And they certainly do have a lot of questions that need answering.

Heather Corinna, a sex educator and activist, has created a website which is visited by 15000 to 30000 young adults, parents and educators on a daily basis. Parents may be shocked by the language on the site as it is explicit, but not gratuitous. But it’s how kids talk, making the site ‘user friendly’.

It’s a thriving, dynamic and information-packed site where you can read about subjects such as virginity, sexual politics and much, much more.

Corinna says that teens mostly come to visit the site in crisis mode and the other half visit to ask general questions. Pregnancy is still the number one subject.

I would recommend a visit to it!

Scarleteen.com