Birds And The Bees: What These Women Thought About Sex When They Were Young Girls
Although “the birds and the bees” talk is meant to clear up any questions a child may have regarding sex, myths and misconceptions about sexual health and identity are still an ever-present part of growing up. Whether it’s how babies are conceived, how old you have to be to have sex, or simply how sex is performed, children have a lot of questions when it comes to sex and it falls on the parent’s shoulders to start this slightly embarrassing conversation.
A video post by BuzzFeed shows a group of women explaining the common sex misconceptions they had growing up and even their first run-in with pornography. One by one they explain how they knew sex involved their vagina, but weren’t sure what the other side of equation was or how a man and woman lying on top of the each other led to sex. Of course, there’s the myth meant to scare children that if they masturbate they would go blind.
Some of the myths could be risky for when someone does become sexually active, such as the belief you can’t become pregnant from sex while standing up. There is one commonality among all the women: They did not feel their parents handled “The Talk” as well as they should have. Thanks to parental computer monitoring, obtaining information using the Internet can be hard for a child, especially when it comes to sex. Also, let’s face it: Sometimes what we see on the Internet isn’t exactly 100 percent truthful.
Parents should never understate the importance of “the birds and the bees” talk. Experts agree that the appropriate time to have “The Talk” with a child is whenever they ask. Sex education explained by a parent is a crucial part of growing up and having a healthy sexual relationship.