Annie Fox for Teens... Hey, Terra!

Annie (AKA Hey Terra!) has been around long enough to have experienced a lot of what Life can dish out. But, it hasn’t been so long that she's forgotten what it's like to be your age. Check out some of the thousands of email questions teens from around the world have sent to Terra. You may learn something useful from her answers:

Sex and Sexuality:
“He's been trying to have sex with me.”

Hey Terra,

I am 15 years old and I'm bisexual. A long time ago I met this Guy named John. He is 23. He gave me his number. So I called him then we went out. He has been trying to have sex with me. He says that he likes me and that he wants to be with me. Should I have sex with him??

Should I?

Dear Should I?,

I'm very glad that you haven't made your decision yet. Sure John wants to have sex with you. He probably wants to have sex with anyone who's willing! As a much younger person, you're an easy and vulnerable target. He can come on to you, flatter you, make you feel very special and say what you want to hear. Maybe you're looking for love and closeness and someone who really cares. I don't know John at all, but it's also true that he doesn't know you well enough to say that he wants to "be with you". He wants to have sex. He may not be interested in a relationship. He may not be willing to have protected sex with a condom, properly used. You put yourself at great risk if you choose to have sex with someone you don't know who, very likely, has had MANY sexual partners. HIV/AIDS is transmitted by unprotected sex. It has a VERY high occurrence amongst sexually active gay and bisexual men.

If you get infected by this guy, it will impact your whole life.

My advice is that you don't get involved sexually with this guy.

In friendship,

Terra


Need some advice? Write to Terra. She'll give you a straight answer you can trust without any lectures.


What's New?
''The Girls Q&A Book on Friendship: 50 Ways to Fix a Friendship Without the DRAMA'' by Annie Fox, M.Ed., illustrated by Erica De Chavez Books & Apps for Teens
''Middle School Confidential 3: What's Up With My Family?'' iOS app ''Middle School Confidential 2: Real Friends vs. the Other Kind'' iOS app ''Middle School Confidential 1: Be Confident in Who You Are'' iOS app ''The Teen Survival Guide to Dating & Relating: Real-World Advice on Guys, Girls, Growing Up, and Getting Along'' by Annie Fox M.Ed.
''Middle School Confidential, Book 3: What's Up with My Family?'' by Annie Fox, Illustrated by Matt Kindt
''Middle School Confidential, Book 2: Real Friends vs. The Other Kind'' by Annie Fox M.Ed., Illustrated by Matt Kindt
''Middle School Confidential, Book 1: Be Confident in Who You Are'' by Annie Fox, Illustrated by Matt Kindt
''Too Stressed to Think? A Teen Guide to Staying Sane When Life Makes You CRAZY'' by Annie Fox, M.Ed. and Ruth Kirschner