• Home
  • Why We Need to Talk About Sex
  • About Keep the Talk Going
  • Workshops

Keep The Talk Going

Dedicated to Improving Communication about Relationships, Sexuality, and Intimacy

  • All Posts
  • TalkStarters
  • For Parents of Teens and Preteens
  • For Parents of Young Children
  • For All Adults
You are here: Home / Archives for teen sexuality

Your Teen Is Online. Porn Is Online. Time to Talk?

May 15, 2020 by Jill Whitney

With many schools temporarily shuttered, teens are spending even more time online than they used to. They’re doing schoolwork digitally, connecting with friends using apps…and they may also be watching more sexually stimulating material. If that makes you kinda shriek inside…well, that’s understandable. Your teen using porn isn’t a comfortable idea, and it might not […]

Filed Under: Featured, For Parents of Teens and Preteens Tagged With: parenting teens, pornography, sex ed, teen sexuality, teens

Add Romance Novels to Your Teen’s Reading List

July 9, 2019 by Jill Whitney

When you were a teenager, did you read romance novels? Does your teen daughter read them? Your son? If they don’t, you might want to pick up a couple Harlequin Romances and leave them lying around. They’re a surprisingly useful component of sex education. OK, this might not be obvious. It makes more sense when […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: parenting teens, sex ed, summer reading, teen sexuality, teens

Men, Women, & Self-Pleasuring

November 13, 2018 by Jill Whitney

Most people self-pleasure at least sometimes. Some people do it a lot. It’s normal. It’s healthy. But we don’t talk about it much. Well, sure, masturbation is private. But we need to talk about it enough that people know there’s nothing wrong with touching yourself in whatever ways feel good. That’s true for both men […]

Filed Under: Everyone, Featured, For Parents of Teens and Preteens Tagged With: masturbation, self-pleasuring, sexuality, teen sexuality

What’s the Right Age to Have Sex for the First Time?

June 12, 2018 by Jill Whitney

A lot of people worry that they’re out of step with what’s “right” or “normal” if they don’t do certain sexual things by certain ages. You may think you should “lose your virginity” by a specific age or there’s something wrong with you. (More later on why I put that in quotes.) You may visualize some […]

Filed Under: Everyone, Featured, For Parents of Teens and Preteens Tagged With: sexual agency, sexuality, teen sexuality, teenagers, virginity

How Compliant Should Your Child Be?

April 17, 2018 by Jill Whitney

When your 3-year-old won’t get dressed in the morning or your 6-year-old refuses to eat anything but chicken nuggets, you may long for compliance. You want a child who cooperates, who listens to parental wisdom without endless arguing, who just does what you say, dang it. Because you want what’s best for your child and […]

Filed Under: Featured, For Parents of Teens and Preteens, For Parents of Young Children Tagged With: parenting. kids, teen sexuality

Raising Decent Kids in the #MeToo Era

March 20, 2018 by Jill Whitney

You’re trying to raise your kids to be good people. You want them to respect themselves and others. You want them to be responsible, including about relationships and, when the time comes, sex. That was hard enough before; since #MeToo aimed a spotlight on sexual harassment and assault, you may be even more concerned about […]

Filed Under: Featured, For Parents of Teens and Preteens, For Parents of Young Children Tagged With: #MeToo, kids, parenting, power, sex, sexul harrassment, teen sexuality, teens, values

Your Teen Is Online. Porn Is Online. Time to Talk?

field of red flowers

TalkStarter for Teens: What Counts as “Having Sex”?

two kittens

TalkStarter for Kids: When a Pet Has a Litter

LinkedIn login page

Please, LinkedIn, Don’t Block My Posts

red, yellow, and green tomaotes

The 3 Most Important Things to Tell Kids about Puberty

logs burning in fire pit

When You Want to Make Love (Not Just Have Sex)

clouds giving way to blue sky

My Toddler Touches…Down There. Should I Worry?

Should Busy Couples Schedule Sex?

red Solo cup

What Good Guys Need to Know about Consent

pink peony closeup

The Smart Way to Protect Kids’ Innocence

Read All Posts

Keep Me Posted


About the Author

Jill Whitney is a licensed marriage and family therapist dedicated to improving communication about relationships, sexuality, and intimacy. Learn more about her and her practice at Green Tree Professional Counseling.

Copyright © 2025 · Site Credits

Copyright © 2025 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in