Do You Know What a Condom Is For, Nephew?
No boy should learn about sex through mistakes and Google
I’ve been talking to my oldest nephew about sex since he was 13 and his mother — my sister — found a condom in his room. It was unused, but open; she called me in a panic. I realized this was an opportunity for him to have the conversation that no one had bothered to have with me.
Everything I learned about sex came from three sources: Degrassi, porn, and Black ’90s films. I’ve watched Boyz n the Hood more times than I can count, and each time I enjoyed Tre’s kitchen conversation about sex with his father, Furious, while getting a haircut. I yearned for that kind of conversation with my father — but never received it.
The closest my father came to talking to me about sex was the moment when my mom found a condom in the trash. I lied to him and said that I was having sex, even though I thought, “I wish. Been trying since eighth grade!” He nodded his head and kept it pushing. I didn’t find that honest conversation about sex at school, either; I went to Catholic school…
