An Unavoidable Conversation: Mothers Must Talk About Sex With Daughters

Few things in our lives are as important as food and shelter and sex. Yes, sex. Whether we admit it or not. The problem is, we shy away from accepting it. There is a lot of stigma and hushed-up talk around sex that its importance in our lives takes a backseat. We feel embarrassed while talking about it to our parents, teachers, or other elders who should actually guide us and impart us information about this essential subject. As a result of this communication gap, either we turn to our peers or the acclaimed and revered Google Baba.

Just type ‘What is Sex’ on Google or on any other search engine and you will get a range of articles and tons of information to grasp and know. Moreover, drive towards Instagram and type #sexed/ #sexeducation, in a fraction of a second you will be bombarded with thousands of contents. Yes, we live in a digital age where ‘How’, ‘Why’, ‘What’, ‘When’, and ‘Where’ of every topic is a click away. But the fact that should be considered over here is - No online content guarantees accuracy. Thus, turning to your reliable elders becomes all the more important.

Why Mothers Should Talk About Sex With Their Daughters

Right from the day a girl-child is born, a mother plays a pivotal role in her daughter's life. From protecting her at each step to taking care of every good and bad touch, she looks into every aspect of it. Whether it is periods or buying personal stuff for her daughter, the mother does it all until her daughter is mature enough to do it all for herself. A mother and a daughter share a lot of stuff with each other, but when the topic of sex creeps in many mothers try to avoid it.

In the present scenario, when sex in pop culture is openly depicted, there are higher chances that teenagers might misinterpret it which may result in adolescent risky sexual behaviours. Especially for girls, it can result in birth complications, maternal health problems, cervical cancer(due to the transmission of STIs). In addition to that, while a girl turns up to sex for the first time she might have a lot of confusion and inhibitions in her mind regarding pain, orgasms, etc. To avoid that state of mind a mother must talk to her teenage or adult daughter about sex much before such a situation of confusion arises so that a daughter knows that her mother is by her side. This somewhat brings in an assurance. The daughter then can turn up to her mother whenever needed without any hesitation.

Mother-Daughter Duo

A mother-daughter duo can turn out to be the best example of sisterhood in every family. Thus, communication regarding an important topic like sex plays a huge role in it. So, the decision is most of the time in the hands of the mother whether she wants to initiate a conversation around sex or not. Studies have found that mother-daughter sexual communication may not always influence daughters’ sexual choices. Additionally, perhaps simply discussing sexuality-related matters is not enough to produce positive outcomes. Nevertheless, one should discuss them as it might help the daughter in confiding in the mother in the long run. And if not you, the baton of teaching sex may fall in someone's else hand who might give wrong guidance to your child so why not give the sex education to your daughter yourself. Obviously, you won't want someone else to impart wrong knowledge to your daughter regarding such a crucial topic, would you?