It is probably the last conversation you want to have with your teen, but it is also the most important.

Sex.

If you don’t talk to your teen about it, I can assure you, someone else will. A friend or classmate or a friend’s older sibling. Often times the hallway conversations about sex are not informed and mature discussions. Instead, teens perpetuate myths about safe sex, peer pressure their friends into doing it or tell lies about their own experiences. None of this will help your teen make wise and informed decisions about her body. This is why you need to talk to your teen about sex before someone else does.

You may feel out of control in this area with your teen, but you are not. In fact, a survey cited by the CDC reported that teens said their parents have the greatest influence over them when it comes to the decisions they make about sex. Greater than their friends, siblings, or even the media.

A survey cited by the CDC reported that teens said their parents have the greatest influence over them when it comes to the decisions they make about sex.

You have much more influence than you…