Like it or not, the world we live in is driven by sex. Every time you pick up a magazine, watch a television show or listen to the lyrics of a song, it stares you in the face. Even if you subtract technology from the equation, sex is impossible to ignore. Yet, somehow too many parents avoid having an appropriate, educational discussion about it with their children. I know it's not the most comfortable conversation to have, but without having that discussion, there is no understanding. Without understanding, there is no appreciation. Without appreciation, there is no respect. This is why such a natural, biological process has too often been misrepresented and exploited in so many ways.

I don't recall having the birds and the bees conversation with my parents. As the youngest of three children, you might think that one of my two older siblings would have helped guide me along in some way. Sex was just one of several hot topics that our family wasn't particularly open to discussing. As a result of that, the responsibility of explaining this extremely delicate subject passed to the writers of the movies I watched, the books I read, and the music I listened to, followed up by short lessons from my fifth and ninth-grade teachers. Any additional sex-ed knowledge that I have acquired was done so through personal experience, not all of which I'm proud of.

I can't help but think that those not-so-proud-of moments could have been different for me if someone I was close with dared to teach me the significance of having sex. Going through puberty is not a fun process for anyone. Hormones rage, hair grows in places you don't necessarily want it to, and unfamiliar urges take over. It's ugly. It's embarrassing, and no teenager wants to talk about it with anyone, especially not their parents. Puberty is an extremely vulnerable phase for kids. The good news is it doesn't last forever, but the repercussions of using sex as an outlet for those raging hormones might.

One short conversation could make the difference in whether or not yet another teen becomes pregnant, infected with a sexually transmitted disease, or is taken advantage of sexually by another person. Knowledge is power, and by positively approaching sexual education, we can encourage these young, vulnerable adolescents to make better decisions when it comes to being sexually active.