I recently read a book titled, “Oral Sex is the New Goodnight Kiss.” I recommend it only for those who aren’t squeamish. Teens, often teens from “good” homes, are trading sexual favors for money, or a designer bag, or even the “promise” of a relationship. Parents often have no clue (isn’t that often the case?). The casualness with which teens are engaging in oral sex reveals they have no clue either! They embrace the idea that oral sex isn’t really sex, and that somehow it doesn’t count because you can’t get pregnant. And yet, research shows that oral isn’t merely a substitute for intercourse, since teens often loose their virginity close to the time they engage in oral sex, according to a report by the Center for Disease Control.
Here at Amplify, we don’t let teens get away with thinking that oral sex is no big deal. The truth is, it has social and emotional consequences, just like intercourse. And then there are the STDs you can get. We’ve written here before about the STDs students are getting from oral sex. Let’s be sure, when we talk about sex with our teens, that we are including cautionary words about ALL forms of sexual activity, not just intercourse.