Showing posts with label sex education. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sex education. Show all posts

Tuesday, 15 March 2016

A few things we'd LOVE to tell you.



It’s been a hell of a week hasn’t it? I’m exhausted just thinking about everything I’ve had to deal with and I’ve no doubt that I am not alone. I’m left wondering if life ever just skips along without this constant battle to survive and be understood? 


Make no mistake I have chosen to be who I am and so cannot claim to be a victim although some days I wonder. 

For women some things seem to be a little more difficult. This week #TED2016 is on in Vancouver and TEDxJohannesburg streamed it live for us to watch. One of the speakers Reshma Saujani was the founder of Girls who Code. Her talk was all about how if we want women to be part of the new economy we not only need to teach them to code, we have to also teach them to be brave, for women to take risks and to ultimately speak up. 

Women don’t speak up for a number of reasons but mostly it’s because we don’t want to be judged or disliked. This unfortunate trait permeates through almost every aspect of our lives, from the bedroom to the boardroom. 

So in the spirit of bravery I am going to tell you a couple of things about sex that many women would love you to know but are too polite or afraid to say.
You think that banging away for hours is sexy and everything we’ve ever wanted in a man, it’s not. Too little or too much are equally disappointing. Premature ejaculation leaves us frustrated and marathon sessions leave us sore. Keeping your orgasm for after hers is a wonderful thing but then be polite and have your orgasm as well. 

Make no mistake there is a time and a place for marathon sex but is probably not mid week or after a day like I just had. Come to terms with the truth, once we’ve had an orgasm your continued pounding becomes painful and boring. You may think you’re a porn star worth filming – but you’re not. 

Marathon sex needs buckets of lubricant and the one thing we are all hoping for more of – time!

She is probably giving you subtle signs that she would like you to finish, after all we are not all brave enough to say ‘If you don’t come now I’m going to get really irritated’.

We know when you trying to sneak your penis into an orifice other than our vagina. I don’t know how stupid you think we are? It never just happens ‘by accident’ but we keep quiet and humour you because we are too afraid to shame you, so we shame ourselves instead. If it’s something you want to do – talk about it first and explore the options together. Much more fun for both of us. 

Contrary to popular belief the best sex moves are not learned from Porn and we know when you’ve been watching it and want to try something new. We know that this is where you get most of your tricks and mostly they are overrated and don’t work. 

And just so you know, many of us know exactly what give us pleasure we just don’t know how to tell you. We’re afraid we might dent your ego but more than that we are terrified you are going to judge us and then call us that glorious word – slut! 

Unless we invite you, don’t send us a picture of your penis. It’s just wrong and so disrespectful. You may think it’s the most magnificent thing you’ve ever seen, for us – not so much! 

Our bodies get extremely sensitive when aroused so rather be gentle than rough, unless you are invited to be otherwise. Pick up on the body language, how hard is she kissing you back? 

I have a friend who says ‘If you have to tell him how to pull your hair, good feeling gone!’ 

We want you to be confident and to take charge, we just always know how to let you. We do want it on our own terms. It is confusing I know but learn how to read the signs, we are far more transparent than you think. 

There are those of us who are lucky can pop out orgasms on demand and then there are some of us who have to work really hard to get there and sometimes it’s just too much effort. That does not mean that we are not experiencing pleasure or intimacy. We do enjoy the journey and often don’t need to get to the destination. 

It does not mean that your technique sucks or that we don’t want you. It just means right now, hunting down that orgasm, through the forest, over the river and up the hill is just too much to contemplate. So let it go. 

Women are complicated I know, our moods and desires shift like the sand in the Sahara, but we’re worth it but ultimately it’s up to both of you to speak up. 

Ask for what you want and communicate about the hard stuff. Talk about what you like and what you don’t because it will save you years of terrible and unsatisfactory sex because after a week like I’ve had life is far too short. 

Don’t forget you can let me know what you think or let me know what you want to hear about Sharon@lolamontez.co.za.


Tuesday, 8 March 2016

Don't rush it, sex is a precious gift!




 Continuing with last week’s theme I am going to talk about a couple of questions frequently asked by parents and children. The views expressed in this column are mine so take them from whence they come. 

This question gets asked more than any other when I am talking to children/teenagers about sex. I think the sex education children are subjected to in school and their peers is shocking. Sex is dealt with in terms of sperm and eggs, then they move into disease and rape!

The question most asked is: What does sex feel like? 

It’s a tricky question to answer because I don’t want to send them off to the toilets to try it out, but I’m also there to give honest answers. 

Sex is a beautiful thing when you are ready for it. Unfortunately peer pressure and the sexualisation of society makes us believe that if we are not having sex, there is something wrong with us. Nobody can decide whether you are ready to have sex except you! I believe you should wait if you’re not sure and then wait some more. 

Sex will be magical if you understand your own body. So my suggestion is that you should first understand your own body. Grab a mirror and look at the tools you have to work with. Then touch them, soft or hard, fast or slow, see feels good. Masturbate, bring yourself to orgasm. Feel the pleasure. 

Now understand that how your body has reacted is purely biological. It is meant to feel that way. Feeling that tingle when you’re in the movies with your girlfriend or boyfriend does not equate to love, it just means that your body is doing what it is meant to do. 

Do not be bullied into having sex to prove that you love him. If he loves you he should respect your boundaries and wait until you are ready. Think of sex as a precious gift, you wouldn’t want to give it just anyone, so rather wait and satisfy yourself. 

When you are ready, make it special. Don’t have sex somewhere unpleasant, like a public toilet or behind the shed. The first time will imprint your sexual journey forever, make sure it’s a great imprint. 

The next question is: When should I start talking to my children about sex?

When they are born!

Let me be more specific. Answer with the truth when they ask, but start at the beginning. Call body parts by their proper name. A vagina is a Vagina and a penis is a penis. You may be uncomfortable with the correct names or think it’s cute to call the ‘flowers’ or ‘willies’ or even worse ‘machine gun’!

The minute you call the genitals something else you cloak them in shame. They are just body parts. You don’t call fingers ‘feely wheelies’ or a nose a ‘smelly welly’ – so don’t undermine the genitals!

When you answer questions make it age appropriate. When a 3 year old asks where babies come from, tell them the truth. Tell them that a man and a woman can make babies by having sex, not that you can by them at a supermarket or that the stork does a delivery. You are lying!

Your child will believe what you have told them and when they find out the truth they will wonder why you lied and sex will take on an additional mantle of shame and guilt. There is a wonderful course you can do on how to talk to your children about sex in an age appropriate way. Let me know if you’d like the details. 

Lastly for this week, let’s get controversial questions out of the way. So here goes: is it okay to buy a sex toy for my teenage daughter? 

That depends on your daughter! Keeping in mind my attitude towards masturbation and getting your daughters to understand the difference between love and lust, my answer is yes, but...

The but is ensuring that she understands that men do not vibrate and nor are they able to hum for 40 minutes. You do not want to influence her sexual patterning but you do want her to be sexually confident about herself and sex toys. If I had a daughter she would most definitely have a cupboard full of toys. My recommendation is that toys for exploration and fun but let her use the hand for orgasm. 

I think it’s wonderful if you can have the kind of relationship with your daughter that you can think of getting her a toy, but first have the conversation about whether she want one or not and then bring her shopping. 

 As a great first time toy try Ammunition Bullet, Je Joue Mimi

If you have any questions or comments please email me sharon@lolamontez.co.za

Friday, 27 November 2015

Open letter to an Eighteen Year Old.



I have a favourite word that I use often. It rhymes with suck so please feel free to insert it as an adjective or an adverb throughout this entire column. 




I am so angry I want to explode! I’m angry at myself first and foremost and then at a young girl whose life I could have influenced and because I was to exhausted after raising my own children, chose not to engage. 

I’m angry because I see another young soul think she is worth less than her brother because she has a vagina. Because she believes than men are entitled to more regardless of their IQ. I’m angry because she thinks the path she has chosen is well thought out, that she will escape mediocrity and all its charming allure, when all she has really done is chosen small.

This girl, like so many others is completing her matric this year. She proudly tells the story, as if to illustrate her escape from mediocrity, That in her group of friends, all 18, one has a baby, one is five months pregnant and five are engaged to be married! I hope that you are horrified! 

She thinks that going a small town, second grade university to get an insignificant degree makes her more equipped to deal with the world. If this was her only option I would agree. Getting a degree is a fabulous first step to becoming all you can be. But it’s not. 

She is probably going to get at least 4 to 6 distinctions. She has a British passport with a parent already established in the UK and has the opportunity to study abroad. She thinks earning R120 makes her independent and that I am completely stupid. She cannot see that she has taken all her potential and reduced it to the size of a pin head, if not smaller!

What really blows my mind (you are still adding on my favourite word?) is that her parents, who know better are allowing her to make this grievous decision.
We all experience fear, we all live in its shadows and we all make safe choices. At 18 we all knew better. Not everyone is ‘Sharon the Salmon’ as someone recently called me and maybe I should be satisfied with that, but I’m not. 

I am angry because I have failed her and her group of friends. A baby at 17! Are you kidding me? Where on earth was contraception? Where were the discussions about safer, healthier, less life changing alternatives? Oh I know- we don’t talk about sex!!!

Why are 18 year old's getting engaged? I’ll tell you why, because they think they are in love and want to have sex! What are these parents thinking?
How much do they hate their daughters (and the sons) to allow them to think about marriage at the age of 18? And don’t tell me you can’t fight love! Rubbish, this is about biology!

They think they are in love because they have no idea what their bodies are really saying. They are confusing lust with love and are going to make choices because they are ‘lus’. They do not understand that that feeling is a normal part of sexuality and does not need marriage to be satiated. 

Let’s not talk about masturbation as an alternative let’s rather let them learn the hard way. 

We have doomed them and thousands more to a life filled with –what if! It breaks my heart. They will have their 2.2 children and the white picket fence for all of 5 seconds and then the horrible reality of their choices will set in. One in a thousand will be happy the rest will stick it out because the ego is a stubborn task master. It would rather be unhappy than admit it’s stupid decisions. 

I am so sad. I wish I’d done more. I wish I’d been able to educate the parents if not the children. I am convinced that teaching children about sex and sexuality will empower them to make better choices. I believe that educating your children about masturbation and biology will teach them to make the distinction between love and lust, which in turn will allow them to make different choices. 

That little girls understanding their body and the world of possibilities available to them will make them better mothers, lovers, wives, businesswomen and that the world would be a better place for it. 

To the young girl in question, or if you recognise her in someone you know pass this on. 

You have believed the wrong version of yourself. You are so much more. Your future can be so much bigger than the small, safe option you have chosen. I weep, Oh Lord I weep!