I Talk About Sex with My Daughter
Nollywood actress, Iyabo Ojo has revealed she has started talking about sex with her teenage daughter; she believed the earlier she started the better for the girl. She also called on other parents to take a cue from her and tutor their wards on sex and sexuality. She insisted that the world cannot run away from this reality, no matter how they try. She said these young ones are exposed to sexual information all over and should therefore be prepared for eventualities.
She insists that the young ones are already exposed and somewhat informed about sex and sexuality and it will be somewhat unreasonable for parents to shun the need for education or reeducation of their wards to ensure they see things from the right perspective. She said if parents fail to play their parts, friends and acquaintances of their kids will help to mislead them.
The thespian said she chose to educate her teenage daughter, Priscilla, on sex-related issues so Priscilla would not learn from her friends or someone else, which may complicate things further for the girl. According to the actress, the talks started soon when Priscilla first saw her menses.
The single mother of two said: “When my daughter started her period, I began to teach her about sex education. I felt it was the right time. I let her know that as she has started her period, she is a lady now and if she has sex, she would get pregnant.
“I told her what sex meant in detail. You would be surprised how exposed these kids are now. They are more exposed than we were when we were younger- all thanks to the internet. Ironically, my daughter understands what sex is all about. I always advise parents to be their children’s friends.
“When I was talking about sex to my daughter, she was laughing and felt awkward about it. We need to educate them and let them understand that if they engage in sex, they would get pregnant and would stay away from school. I let her know that I am not a party to abortion and there is nothing like that in my dictionary.
“I let her know the qualities to look out for in a man. I always tell her why she must not have sex now until she becomes an adult. When she becomes an adult, then we would continue from there. Sometimes, we sit down and talk and I ask about her boyfriend but she tells me that she has none. She would tell me that she has a male friend but not lover.”
Priscilla, a budding actress, is currently managed by her mother. She has featured in some of her mother’s movies including ‘Silence’ for which she, along with Ojo, won an award. She is still in secondary school and she already made her mind known about opting for fulltime acting after her education
Another celebrity who has had the sex talk with her teenage daughter Mitchelle is Mercy Aigbe-Gentry. She disclosed this in an interview with a parenting magazine.