The birds and the bees

Many of us may remember that sit-down talk we had with our parents about the dreaded birds and bees of life, even though many of us were probably already exposed to the world of sex by friends or the media.

At what age did your parents tell you about the birds and the bees and what did they say?

Fay, 29:

My mother told me and my sister about sex when I was 11. She told us that sex was a bad thing and that if we had sex before marriage it would be a sin. The irony is that she had four kids and wasn’t married to any of our fathers. I was more fearful of my mother’s relationship with God than my own. I remember telling my sister that mommy was going to hell.

Maria, 34:

My father was the one who told me about the birds and the bees. He told me that I shouldn’t be thinking about sex and I should focus on my school work. He said that boys should be the last thing on my mind. He told me that it was natural for me to want to be around boys, but I shouldn’t let any of them touch me. I was 10 and really didn’t care much about anything he said, but now that I have kids I get it.

Neil, 28:

My older brother was the one who told me about sex.  I was 10 and he was more graphic than a porn movie. I was traumatised. I didn’t have sex until I was 20.

Roy, 39:

No one told me about sex. I had to learn on my own.

Brenda, 33:

I got the talk about puberty from my mother and the talk about sex from my father. I remember my father kept struggling as he tried to find the right words to explain himself. I was 12 and already knew about sex from friends, but I didn’t have sex until I left high school.