Right Before Your Very Eyes

I’d planned the presentation in my mind long before I actually went through with it.

When my son, Brian, turned twelve years old, I asked him into the bathroom and demonstrated how to unwrap a condom, and protect a banana.

“Don’t say a word,” I instructed him as I ripped open the Trojan wrapper and placed it like a cap over the top end of the fruit. My heart raced and I felt like an idiot, but also felt propelled into the truth of my son’s future relations.

Brian’s eyes saucered as I continued my speech.

“The condom is designed to have safe sex. Leave a little extra of the latex as a reservoir at the top.” Carefully I unrolled the condom about half-way over the tip of the banana. “AIDS is real. HIV is real, and if you use Nonoxol 9 and a latex condom when you choose to have sex WITH SOMEONE YOU CARE DEEPLY ABOUT, you can enjoy sexual relations pretty safely and not become a father before you’re ready. It may not be for quite awhile, but at least I showed you what to do. You have to pretend about the banana part, but I’m sure you get my point.”

After illustrating the subtleties of how the condom unrolls, and the application of it onto the banana, my son stood speechless in front of me.

“Do you have any questions? Now’s a good time to ask them.”

What could he say?

He didn’t know I’d prepared this explanation of an adult secret. It was one of those times that being a mother separated the men from the boys.

By Pru Starr