I know I’m not the only one out there doing this. But I know that most young people don’t ever access contraception until they need it – right then! That’s not a time or a place to try and do something as different and unusual and potentially scary as buying condoms. I take groups of, […]
Archives for age
How to respond when your kid/teen views varsity level porn
Last week I asked that parents send me questions that they had about adolescent sexuality or their children (or themselves) specifically. Below is my favorite question so far. If you have a question that you haven’t sent in yet, don’t hesitate to e-mail me or leave it in the comments section below. HERE’S A QUESTION […]
Why Middle School comprehensive sex ed?
Most middle school students are not yet sexually active. Many of them are not even on the skinny end of the sexually active bell curve (that is, they don’t have boyfriends or girlfriends yet, they haven’t had a first kiss, they might not have even started their periods or had their first orgasm yet). So […]
Finding your sexual identity
I am thinking today about sexual identity. But first, a short introduction to the concept of sexual identity. Essentially, our identity on any given topic answers the question ‘Who am I?’ So in regards to a sexual identity, the question becomes, ‘Who am I, sexually? What do I like, dislike, how do I approach sexuality, […]
Bodies and age and modeling
There has been much to-do, over the past several months, about “plus-sized models.” All of this conversation is, of course, moving media images in the right direction. But it is using language that is damaging. First, some history: The bulk of this conversation started back in September when Glamour magazine put a photo of a […]
Teenagers in prison
While this is not a topic that is terribly related to adolescent sexuality, it is one that is receiving a lot of attention recently. One week ago the Supreme Court heard arguments on whether sentencing a juvenile – someone under 18 years old – to life in prison without the possibility of parole is cruel […]
My purple hair
I don’t think I’ve mentioned in this space that I dyed my hair purple about six months ago. I hadn’t ever dyed my hair before, and I thought it would be fun. So away I went! Bleach first, then a luscious dark purple. The purple is in a crown around my hairline – the majority […]
Sexting: What now?
So here’s my overview from last Thursday and Friday‘s conversation on sexting: Yes, it can be problematic, as can almost any form of communication. Texting is (currently) a ubiquitous communication method, and it doesn’t appear to be going anywhere anytime soon, so as parents, teachers, and caring adults, we have to make our peace with […]
Sexting, take two
Yesterday I wrote about sexting, in the original, text-based sense. Today I get into those terribly troubled waters when teenagers send sexual images – either stills or video – of themselves. I’m hesitant to write about this topic, which is perhaps telling in and of itself. I write about a lot of controversial issues (like […]
Scare tactics and sensationalism don’t work
The problem is that almost everything worth talking about – certainly anything related to sex and sexuality – is probably nuanced. Scare tactics are black and white. So too much of the conversation is left out, and the wrong impression can be easily taken away. The most recent version of this conversation is about a […]
