Saw a comic recently about this topic and got me thinking. I know what "the talk" is about since it appears in so many media but I don't ever recall having such an experience personally. Did you? What was it like?
I was a late 80s kid, just for context. As far as my experience goes, my parents were very open about sex as a natural process for reproduction. They answered openly any questions I had whenever I had them, keeping to the bare minimum necessary but never avoiding the topic- also never using metaphors as a substitute for plain facts ie. "the birds and the bees".
So at about age 5 or so I was already aware about how reproduction worked on animals, us humans included. As I kept growing up of course I kept connecting the dots on any social aspects of sex and relationships (ie that is supposed to be pleasant, that people do it even if they're not planning to have babies, etc) but I never had a moment of shocking realization regarding sex. I often found it stupid how some of my classmates would giggle or lower their voice when talking about anything sexual like, well, like it's a taboo. And I was often disappointed at how much of what my classmates knew wasn't exactly true, which at the time I chalked to their stupidity, although obviously it wasn't their fault. They were misinformed.
By the time kids got to sex ed in highschool they already had their facts pretty much right though, fortunately.
So I'm curious about your experiences about this while growing up. Was yours similar to mine or did you sit through some awkward conversations? How did you feel about it all?
I don't remember a talk about the mechanics of sex, pregnancy, STDs, etc. Clearly my parents were talking to me about that stuff without scarring me because I also knew it all long before sex ed (or really even before I gave any real thought to sex).
What I remember is the awkward talk with my mom after I got my first serious girlfriend about how "horny doesn't last nearly as long as fatherhood," the costs of hasty decisions, and "emotional responsibilities." To be fair, there were a lot of strollers at my HS graduation and I was glad to not be pushing any of them.
Your experience sounds similar to mine.
That talk sounds awkward but necessary. I also recall my mother always stressed that if I was going to have sex to always always make sure the guy was wearing a condom.