To Know Or Not To Know

There are the parents who are open with their kids. They're the type of parents who bring out the banana and Durex condom and initiate their adolescent's first, awkward sex talk. They support safe sex and hell, they were kids once, too.

Then there are the parents who religiously follow the Don't Ask, Don't Tell principle. They might not verbally support casual sex or even sex with your SO, but as long as they don't catch you doing it and you don't tell them anything, they don't want to know.

And then, there are the extremely conservative parents that will shun you if they knew you were involved in any sexual activity, or at least they promote the idea that they will if you do.

In my personal experience (note: personal), I've found that many of my friends who have parents from categories 1 and some friends with parents from category 2 tend to lead safer sex lives. Whether it be who they're sleeping with, the number of sexual partners, or how they practice sex, these friends tend to make smart choices.

Some of my friends with parents that fall in category 3 remain virgins, smart about the concept of sex and usually on the same boat as their parents. That is, until they get to college or go through some transition in life where sex is more attainable. Now, these are large generalizations and most people don't get less intelligent about sex. These are also my friends that don't serve as representatives for every kid who has ultra-conservative parents.

But maybe it's the pent up rebellion that my friends had held back in the past years that makes them so suddenly extroverted and stepping into untrodden ground. Just like the forbidden fruit, and just like how alcohol can only be served to those over 21, sex seems to be so desirable due to it's promoted unattainability by authority.

Is it because that their parents aren't there anymore to disprove of other kids that are sexually active or insert quips about their opinions on sex every once in a while? Such mechanisms to discourage sex seems to work like reverse psychology. Most of my friends whose beliefs that coincided with their parents' did a 180. And they kept their new beliefs well hidden from their parents.

I don't know if it's healthy to keep such a big part (I only say big because I believe sex has so much meaning to it) of one's life a secret. Ideally, it's best to be open with one's parents. But I can see why my friends wouldn't tell their parents about their new sexual status. Hell would break loose, trust and respect could be lost, etc, etc.

This article was taken from: http://www.datingish.com/724546900/to-know-or-not-to-know-that-is-the-question/