The author reflects on their unplanned first sexual experience at 18, influenced by a strict Catholic upbringing and parental pressure against birth control. Despite having a long-term boyfriend, societal and familial expectations led to feelings of shame and guilt. The author recounts a turbulent family life, marked by their parents’ troubled marriage and the devaluation of female sexuality. As they transition to college life, they face the repercussions of inadequate sexual education and the emotional scars left from their childhood, emphasizing the need for more supportive dialogues around sexual health and autonomy.
The combination of strict upbringing and familial pressure led me to make unwise decisions regarding my sexual health and relationships, shaping my early experiences.
My parents’ dysfunctional marriage and their punitive attitudes towards sexuality left me with a heavy burden of guilt and confusion about my own desires.
I grasped the idea that birth control was wrong due to a moral stance imposed by my parents, leading to my serious lack of preparedness.
Ultimately, my college experience began with a significant lack of preparation for adulthood, which stemmed from the restrictive and toxic environment of my upbringing.
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