Secret #2 that my Italian parents forgot to tell me to survive my 20s: sex

 Try being raised in a Catholic country, where the sin for masturbation is blindness, divorce condemns you to hell, and making love is just to give babies to God.  For goodness' sake! Try growing up like a healthy adult in Italy.

Like many Italian girls, I went to a school run by nuns.  It was only for females. The nuns kept you in line with just one terrorist look.  The walls of the school oozed fear. You did not dare disappoint the nuns. Oh no!

And, the only men allowed in the school were priests.

My parents never spoke to me about sexuality. They probably never even spoke to each other about it. No wonder that when I moved to the US and it was my turn to "do the nasty" (seriously, what kind of name is that?  Yet, that's what some people call it in the United States), I was totally unprepared, and completely in a panic.

I was like.....

What's......that??

You do.....what? With.....THAT????

And then....WHAAAAT?????

Now that my hair has turned all gray and I have been around the block a little, I am here to tell you:

Don't despair.

Sex is natural! It is nothing to be ashamed of. It has its perks.

Bees do it.

Your parents do it.

Priests do it.

Lovers, strangers, and frenemies do it!

Some people do it for sports, or as an obsession, or out of boredom, or because it is the only way they know how to relate to others on an intimate level. Others do it to massage their chakras or get closer to their favorite God. 

Sometimes it works out well, many times it is a disaster.  Sex can start wars and feuds; it can destroys families, disgrace actors and politicians, and turn heroes into villains in a blink.

Whatever your definition of sex is, know this:

Sex, like wine, if treated well, gets better as you age.

Life teaches you how things work "down there" and in your heart.  Some people forget that it is an exchange. Trial and error show you what you like or how to give what others want. Sex can be delicious for as long as you live.

For that, we have something to be happy about becoming 80+ years old!

In the picture above: spontaneous writing on the house of Romeo and Juliet in Verona, Italy.

In the following picture: children taking turns to touch Juliet's breasts in front of her window in Verona, Italy.Teachers clap enthusiastically. Apparently you will be very lucky in love if you touch her breasts.  As if Juliet did not kill herself for love. And, unless you are raised in Italy.

This was the secret number 1 my parents forgot to tell me to survive my 20s, in case you wonder.  And you should. People pay me big bucks to hear this stuff.

Just as a curiosity, can you tell me one crazy, odd, strange message you heard about sexuality when you were growing up?

your originalposter,

claudia

(I only post original writing and photos.  And yes, I like the small capital at the beginning of my name.  It keeps me...humble?)