And when her sister finally had sex, at 16, even her mother's vaunted openness crumbled. She talked to my mom about it and ended up feeling like a whore because even though my mom always said we could talk to her about anything, she didn't want to hear that her daughter had slept with a boy. If you watch TV, they've got everything you want to know. A third of adults think adolescent sexual activity is wrong, while a majority of adults think it's O.K. and, under certain conditions, normal, healthy behavior, according to the Alan Guttmacher Institute, a nonprofit, reproductive-health research group. In one breath, parents say they perceive it as a public-health issue and want more information about sexual behavior and its consequences, easier access to contraceptives and more material in the media about responsible human and sexual interaction.
Teens just end up frozen like a deer in headlights.
Not all kids are happy with television's usurping the role of village griot. It's become so normal it doesn't even affect you. I can remember the jumping-condom ads. There's just too much of it all. Many kids are torn between living up to a moral code espoused by their church and parents and trying to stay true to the swirling laissez-faire.