*Myths and Mis Information*

I always thought a hilarious one was, "You can't get pregnant if you are on top"...! Really?! lol It stems from people being too afraid to broach the topic and have open dialogue or learn on their own. I don't know if the birth of the internet has helped matters or not. What do you guys think? I've always been really open with my girls, but it's amazing the things they come across online from friends, blogs, etc... (good reason for monitoring use, right?)

Good point and question! :)

I remember my mom telling me that if you have sex on the floor or from behind you can get a bladder infection. So weird.

I can't read this, I am blind. :p

Agree!

I do have to say, in my lifetime I have been very surprised by the lack of knowledge or curiosity so many people have about their bodies! You live in the thing--- might want to find out about it!

Yeah the "sex during menses is harmful" had me thinking "huh?"

I don't know...I guess nothing should really surprise us anymore. Every now and again I'll see an article or a show that highlights how ignorant people are about politics, religion, health, their bodies, whatever. Most of the time I just shrug it off but every now and again I get that "shudder" feeling when I realize that there are people out there who believe complete hogwash, and they're out there raising children, and voting. And you don't want to be mean but sometimes I just think "you can't really be that stupid, right?"

I can't think of any specific examples right now but when my SD moved in with us, there were so many instances where she said something that stopped me in my tracks because it was just flat-out, completely-made-up, wrong. I think the first year of her living here, I spent a lot of time going "um, no, sweetie, sit down for a second and let's talk this through" and then setting her straight on something completely idiotic that her ignorant mother had told her.

The one that kills me is that it's unhealthy to do yoga during your period. Crazy!

And even int he sex during menstruation one, someone replied they love it because they can't get pregnant! uhhhh.... yes, you can. You sure can!

To follow up with Julie -

I'm having trouble typing, my palms are too hairy! LOL :)

Let's see...my grandma still insists that if a pregnant woman raises her ams above her head the cord will wrap around the baby's neck and the child will die.

My mom claims that shaving hair makes it grow back thicker and darker. Um, no. Nothing you do at the surface of the skin alters the hair beneath your skin, it just feels coarse till it grows out a bit.

These things pale in comparision to the nonsense I read in the question about sex during your period, however.

OMG Julie! I choked on my Dr. Pepper when I read your answer!

Doing research on our own and talking to our docs is the best way to make our own choices.

Well, I'd like to know a bit more about what to expect with menopause, anyone care to share?

I swear I remember my mom telling me if I shaved above my knees it could cause cancer. What the heck!?! Does anyone else remember being told this??

My parents never talked to us about sex,masturbation,tampons,menstruation or our changing bodies. It was a very lonely place not to have anyone to talk to about this. Sooo, I turned to friends and searching out literature in the library....hoping no one would see me in certain dewey decimal system locations :)

Now when I bring it up with my mom she says, "Well...I just figured you'd learn at school." Oh..and this doozy. "Well, I just figured if you had a question you would come and ask." Um...no! You have to be proactive and get a conversation going first. Then follow up. And nurture a relationship so a child feels comfortable asking.

My husband and I have vowed to keep lines of communication open with our kids. To be honest and real. Our 13 year old son talks to us about every subject under the sun with no trace of blushing. We are so grateful that he trusts us and comes to us. We also ask him questions to get conversations going as well. It is amazing the stories he comes home with regarding the misinformation his friends think is correct. We have also had great chats with our 11 year old and 7 year old too. They are hearing and seeing so much these days.

Scare tactics were used by our parents and ancestors to keep kids "pure"...also just downright ignorance.

It seems the dark ages are never really that far away.

Additional:
It's even more surprising that these myths continue when you can Google information so easily.
I had to look things up in the Encyclopedia Britannica - the internet didn't come along till 15 yrs later.
My Mom still won't talk about sex.
Granted not everything on the internet is reliable information but how difficult is it to check a rumor with Planned Parenthood or WebMd?

I'm also saddened and disturbed by the shaving, bra wearing and ear piercing posts, as if any of these things have to do with sex or being promiscuous!
We shave, wear bras and pierce our ears because that's the cultural norm, that's ALL.
I read some of these responses and wonder if the women answering still wear corsets and ankle length skirts :-(

Ah, Julie, your post is hilarious!!

I have never heard any of these myths. Wow. It's sad that people believe this stuff :(

I was raised by a single, working male. You think I'm going to ask him about female things?? NO WAY IN HELL.

So yes, what I learned, I learned on my own through trial and error and/or friends.

When we found out I was pregnant with baby #3, my husband sat down with our 10 year old son and had a VERY honest (embarrassing) conversation with him about how I got pregnant. Now, 6 or so weeks later my son is STILL embarrassed about that particular talk. He REFUSES to go through it again.

My FIL hates it when my daughter does a handstand. He says it will turn her liver over. And he really believes it! I ask him how all these gymnasts are still alive, livers intact? I mean your liver is pretty much held in place right? lol

I think it's really sad that parents are either ignorant themselves or so afraid of their kids having sex that they refuse to explain the facts to their children.

I think it's sad that some adults have no intellectual curiosity and expect other adults to do their research for them.

My mom used to tell me that if I lifted heavy objects, I would never have children. I worked with another woman whose mother told her the same thing and every time we had to move boxes, we would say, "Look mom, I'm using birth control!" We'd laugh and laugh because we knew how ridiculous that was.