How should I talk to my parents about birth control?
Someone asked us:
how should i talk to my parents about birth control? i am only 15 but i honestly feel ready to both prepare and deal with any potential consequences.
Talking to your parents about birth control is so important; we’re really glad you want to!
You know yourself and your parents best. But here are some things that have worked for others…maybe some of this will sound about right to you.
Car rides with just you and your parent(s) are a good opportunity for talks like this. Side-by-side talks can be less anxiety-provoking than face-to-face ones, and being stuck in a car helps give you time to work through any of the hard parts instead of just bolting to your respective bedrooms. Just try to give them a warning before you bring it up — something like, “I’m about to say something important, so don’t crash the car.”
Or you could just find a quiet moment and say “Mom/Dad, there’s no easy time to bring this up but I want to talk about it with you. I feel ready to look into birth control. Do you want to talk about it? Do you want to think about it and talk tomorrow?”
·Not every parent will feel awkward about this conversation. Some will be SO PSYCHED that you came to them to talk about it, and they’ll be totally open with you and ready to chat. But some parents will feel surprised, and some might feel awkward — maybe they never got to have talks like this with their own parents, so they’re not sure how it should go. Knowing that that’s a possibility, you can prepare yourself. If things get uncomfortable, you can say, “I know this is awkward, but I also know it’s important that we talk about it.” Or, “I know this is awkward, and if you want to get back to me in a few days when you’ve had a chance to think about it, that’s cool.” Or just sit quietly through the awkwardness, take some deep breaths, and remember that awkwardness is only temporary.
Get more information about talking to your parents about sex.
- Mary at Planned Parenthood