THE REAL MAGAZINE ISSUE 4 | Page 23

So what are your choices, young ladies? If you feel that your ready to have sex with your partner ask yourself these questions: • Are you in a healthy relationship with anyone you want to have sex with- don’t just fall for any guy who claims to love you others are just there to test the waters and move on • If you are in a relationship, can the two of you sit and talk about sex (prevention, protection, expectations) and its implications? If you aren’t ‘adult’ enough to talk to your partner about sex, both of you should reconsider having sex until you are able to talk about sex without giggling through it: can’t talk about it? you ain’t ready for it. ARE YOU READY FOR SEX The decision to have sex is a big deal. There are several things one must look at before making the decision, including your values, cultural and religious beliefs, and what you know about preventing STIs and pregnancy. The answer has a lot to do with how comfortable you are with having sex, with whom and when. Well, I will admit that this is not an easy question to answer, it requires introspective thought. How? Well firstly Sex can change your life and status of your relationship, it may affect the way you feel about yourself or how others feel about you, is this the right time in my life to be having sex. Some teenagers choose to wait until they are a little bit older to have sex others may wait till they feel that they are ready to have sex in their current relationship I have often heard of the saying that boys will do or say anything to get into girls panties, I’ve even encountered a few of these losers that were rebuffed quickly! Ain’t nobody got time for that! These types of boys sexually objectify girls - all they want to do is hit and run then it’s on to the next one: they do not consider the emotional implications that a girl may have post-having sex with them. You would be best to avoid these kind of guys like the plague...no matter how good looking they are. • Are you responsible enough to protect yourself against STIs and unwanted pregnancy by using birth control and condoms? * if you do catch an STI or fall pregnant...do you have a plan for that? • What if it goes wrong? Are you emotionally mature to deal with the effects of having sex with someone and it just doesn’t work out with him? #justasking Some of you may choose to wait,? Firstly there is nothing wrong with waiting until you are ready to have sex and I would recommend it but I understand that not a single soul can impose this on you. Not everyone you know who is claiming to be having sex is having sex even the ones that boast about it are probably not doing it. If you decide to wait and not have sex, be rooted in self love and self respect until you are able to make sense of the whole sex thing and be empowered enough to make selfish decisions for your sake. 21