A couple of weeks ago I interviewed John Styn about his project Hug Nation.  One of  the points we talked about was how critical physical contact is to us humans – in particular how important hugging is. Then yesterday, the New York Times published an article on teenage hug culture: For Teenagers, Hello Means “How [...]

I have recently been drawn into a conversation about teenagers, sexuality, and online activities on a massive e-mail group.  The conversation was started by a father posting a link to this Daily Mail article about the excessive promiscuity and online sexual activity teenagers are regularly engaging in.  I was unimpressed by the article - and [...]

One of the recent belly pictures I put up was of a woman had an abortion.  Her picture included a bit of personal jewelry that she asked me to take out for privacy reasons - she was concerned her young teenage son might see the picture and wasn’t sure she was ready for him to [...]

The other day the illustrious Paul Sunstone left the following comment on this post:
One of the challenges that I’ve found when talking with teens is boredom on my part. At first, that might sound counter-intuitive, Karen. After all, our sexuality is so important to us that it might be hard to imagine someone could become [...]

This morning I was thinking about trust.  About who has it, and who doesn’t.  And what that means about innocence and knowledge.
Because I occasionally find myself in front of a group of young teenagers talking about this most intimate topic, promising I won’t tell their parents what they say, teenagers often confide in me or [...]

World, meet my new computer.  New computer, meet the world.  Two things that should never, ever be allowed to mix?  Rust and the inside of my computer.
Today I’ve been thinking about the good parts of sex (physical pleasure, a deepening relationship with someone, babies, fun, and more).  I’ve also been thinking about the bad parts [...]

One of the questions I asked my Human Sexuality students last week was whether any of them had ever stretched the truth - or perhaps even flat-out-lied - about their sexuality.  Everyone giggled nervously and looked shifty eyed.  One brave young soul rolled his eyes and raised his hand saying, “Yeh, hasn’t everyone?”  More nervous [...]

I am working with a production company from France to create a documentary about human development from birth through the beginnings of puberty and sexual interest. My conversation, of course, will come primarily at the end of the film. In addition to an interview piece, they asked that I gather a group of [...]

Many adults - perhaps all adults? - look back on at least one thing they did in a relationship as a preteen, teenager, or young adult and are embarrassed. They regret their actions and the pain they caused someone they professed to care about.
My regret? I was in 9th grade, and dating a [...]

When I was about 19, I had the following conversation with my grandfather (GF) and great-grandmother (GG) about my same-age cousin:
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GG: Well, your cousin just moved in with her boyfriend.
Me: Oh, that’s nice! Good for her.
GF: Yes.  She’s told us that she is sleeping in her own bedroom and he is sleeping in his [...]