Scarleteen

I’m 16 years old and I lost virginity 3 weeks ago (at the time I was 15). I know there is a lot of aspects that go into taking care of yourself when having sex and I want to be as healthy as I can. However my mom hasn’t always been the easiest person to talk to about things like this and I don’t want to disappoint her. I just need help on how to have the conversation with her.

Hi there tourlifechriss, and welcome to Scarleteen!

First of all, I'm really glad to hear that you're thinking about keeping yourself safe and healthy. How was your experience, by the way? Did you enjoy yourself? Was your partner respectful of your needs and wants?

In terms of this conversation with you mother, have you thought about what you might say, and how she might respond?
One thing that might be really helpful to do is think about why exactly you want to tell her. Are you looking for support and advice, or help getting access to sexual health services?
I loved what you said about taking care of yourself, and I wonder if it might help to say exactly that. A lot of times adults become closed off or critical about younger folks having sex because they're worried about the potential consequences (risk for STIs and/or pregnancy, having a bad experience or getting your heart broken, etc). But perhaps you saying that you want to take care of yourself and be safe might demonstrate that you're being intentional and proactive about this.
What do you think?