By Debra Hauser, Executive Vice President

Talking to your teen about sex is . .  . well . . . uncomfortable at best for most parents.  As the parent of a 14 year old (and a sex educator by trade) my poor child has been privy to information about sex and sexuality ever since he could hear through the walls of my uterus!  Nonetheless, a few weeks ago, I decided it was time to make sure that he was comfortable with condoms--that he knew how to put one on should he need it. Of course, I hoped that he wouldn’t need it for quite a while. But that afternoon, I had watched an educational film that broke through my parental complacency.  The footage included interviews with five teens--four of whom had already had sex and not one of whom had told his or her parents. Further, none of them had used a condom—for the most part they thought carrying condoms would make them look . . . ready! 

So with my parental denial so clearly challenged, I laid in wait in the kitchen for my son to return home from a football game.  Carefree and unaware of what was in store for him, he trotted into the kitchen for some Cherry Garcia ice cream and a hug before bed. 

The game was on.