Talking to your kids about the birds and the bees is awkward. Talking to them about masturbation — well, that’s awkward on a whole other level. The internet is cheering for one mom of three on TikTok who not only is willing to talk about the dreaded m-word with her kids, but has a brilliant idea for parents looking to teach their sons to have some me time without all the mess.
The TikTok user @lackofimpulsecontrol knew that her proposal was controversial, but wanted people to hear her out.
“We all know that it's normal, natural, and healthy for kids to explore their bodies, right?” she said in the video from April 30. “But for people who have a penis or are penis-adjacent, that exploration changes when they hit puberty — and that exploration can need a little bit of clean-up.”
Hint, hint.
We’ve all heard about “lotion and Kleenex and crispy towels and gym socks and whatever,” she continued.
But she has a solution that would make clean-up a breeze.
"What if — because we are trying to encourage safe sex practices — we give people things that provide protection. Like CONDOMS!”
It might sound whacky, but she has a point.
Not only would it keep things ahem clean, it would also be a smart way to teach your teen how to use condoms and what it will feel like to use them during sex.
“So there's never any discomfort when they do become ready to go with a partner,” she explained.
“What a magical world where a person with a penis, their first instinct when they become aroused is to grab protection,” she added.
Some people thought the tip was brilliant.
“Wait a damn minute…this is genius and then they can learn how to achieve pleasure with it on, instead of ‘oh I can’t feel anything,’” one commenter wrote.
“Not controversial,” another commenter added. “Logic. Beautiful logic. Carry on.”
“I don’t know why this hasn’t always been a thing! Is it because it’s conspicuous when kids don’t take their own garbage out?” another commenter wondered.
But not everyone was impressed.
“Seems like a lot of unnecessary waste and also it doesn’t feel as good so why ruin the experience when there’s no risk of pregnancy,” wrote someone who identified themselves as a girl.
“I think it sounds great but I can imagine a teen who can’t drive feeling VERY uncomfy with admitting the frequency they’d go through boxes,” someone else pointed out.
“That sounds great but would cost a lot and be terrible for the environment,” another commenter added.
Whether or not you want to make this the norm in your house, it definitely is a good idea to properly show your teen how to put on a condom and use protection. At some point, they're really going to need it.
