It's an awkward conversation that just about every father dreads having with his son – the sex talk. As your child progresses through puberty, he's going to encounter many physical and mental changes that he'll be struggling to understand. And with so much misinformation floating around among his peer group, he'll need your help to sort out safe sex facts from fictions.
In the meantime, here are three sex myths to guide your conversation.
You can't get pregnant your first time
According to Health.com, many young people are under the impression that it's impossible for a girl to become pregnant the first time she has sex. The news source reports that some studies have found that 20 percent of people become pregnant within a month of beginning to have sex, so the thought, "We won't get pregnant if…" should never enter his mind. Any time anyone engages in sex, there's a possibility of pregnancy – even when using contraception.
STDs only occur for someone with multiple partners
While having unprotected intercourse with multiple partners will increase the odds of contracting an STD, PBS.org reports that it only takes one slipup for this to become an issue. Even worse, some STDs only appear sporadically, though they can still be transmitted, so some people may not even know they have one. No matter the circumstance, a condom is the best way to prevent catching venereal disease.
All teens have sex
It's also important to discuss the peer pressure factor of adolescent sex with your son. Many young people feel pressured to have sex in high school (or even younger, these days), but PBS.org reports that more than half of teens are virgins until at least age 17. Let your son know that there's no rush to have sex, and many people who claim to have done so may be lying to make themselves seem cooler.