“Adolescence is hypersexuated.” Comment so repeated, in so many circumstances and in response to so many situations…
Adolescence has always been a highly sexual stage. It certainly changes the way sexuality lives. We used to marry the girls as soon as they started their reproductive life. They therefore had sex life many times before they even felt impulse or desire. We don’t know, probably few asked them and no one registered it. There was no room to experiment, for (most likely) she married a man rather older and well versed than her. Men, in turn, many debuted with older women, and perhaps how many of them would have done to fulfill their role and not look bad to their peers and their references.
In recent decades we have seen marriage and motherhood be postponed and, therefore, adolescents begin their sex life long before wishing for a family commitment. There has always been a tendency to hide it, not to provide factual support, since it would be supporting sexual debauchery. In this regard, we know full well that hiding not only does not diminish the sex lives of adolescents, but condemns it to be carried out in insecure conditions. On the other hand, extensive global experience shows that expanding information in sexuality and access to methods of protection not only does not advance the sexual debut in adolescence, but in many cases tends to delay it.
Once again we are faced with circumstances that alter our life in general, and our particular sexual experience: the pandemic. The couples who live together have been forced to share an unusual number of hours and circumstances. Couples who live apart, in turn, are experiencing a reality similar to remote relationships, even if they live a few blocks away, making reunions live with great anticipation. We know full well that circumstances, however catastrophic, do not stop sex life. Teenagers are not left out of this reality. Parents have taken different positions in the face of this; some have facilitated meetings to make sure their children are safe (both sexually and in terms of possible contagion) and others have rested on the certainty that couples cannot meet. In recent cases we have even seen that the funding of contraceptive methods used by your daughters is interrupted. Entrusting sexual health to something as fragile as transient physical separation poses risks that are undeniable. Sexual impulse is undoubtedly one of the most powerful in humans, so chances are that our teens will use any possibility and excuse to get together. In addition, reunions (both rape and quarantine) are unpredictable, passionate, and often repeated. If they occur in a couple who do not have support for tools as basic as condoms, contraceptives and safe meeting spaces, there are highly likely uninsized consequences.
Rather than talking about whether or not adolescence is hypersexuated, or our opinion in the face of this premise, perhaps the time has come to ask them and them what they need from us to have responsible and safe experiences. Listen. We may be surprised by the maturity of the answer.
The content poured into this opinion column is the sole responsibility of its author, and does not necessarily reflect the editorial line or position of El Mostrador.
