Aww, Moooomm
My boyfriend is bonding with his mother over our sex life. What should I do?
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Dear Prudie,
My boyfriend and I are both college-bound seniors who recently started having sex. There are no problems with our relationship and we have been together for quite some time, but I'm getting a little perturbed. His mother, who is a public-health educator at a local university, is a bit too involved in our sex life. I have always gotten along well with her and would consider her more like a friend than my boyfriend's mother. Still, there are certain things a mother should never know. For example, she is fully aware of the type of condoms my boyfriend prefers and makes sure to keep his nightstand fully stocked with them. I feel like my boyfriend and his mother are bonding over our sex life. Although I doubt their conversations ever get graphic, I don't want my intimate experiences to be dinner conversation. I recently found out that his mother usually plans to run errands when she knows we'll be having sex in his room. This means that he must inform her ahead of time when he plans to have sex, right? Is it too presumptuous to ask that the woman who provides me with valuable information and a house to have sex in butt out? Or should I tough out the next two months until we go off to school, where he will be responsible for obtaining his own favorite type of condom?
—Exposed
Dear Exposed,
Thank you for the reminder of why I plan to lock my daughter in her room for her high-school years. OK, you're all grown up now and ready to have sex—in your boyfriend's bedroom, where he still hasn't gotten around to taking down the ribbon he won in the sixth-grade spelling bee. His mom is worried that even though you're sexually active young adults, you're also sexually active adolescent ding-dongs who might run out of rubbers one time and decide to improvise, thus causing her to take a supporting-actress role in your own version of Knocked Up. So, after she puts his folded underwear in his drawer, she checks the nightstand and makes sure he's covered. Then when the two of you disappear into his room, she leaves the house instead of, what, sitting outside the door knitting? Or working on the computer down the hall and wearing earplugs? Yes, the whole thing is icky—for everyone. Don't bring up your sex life with Mom, enjoy the summer, and keep using protection.
—Prudie
Dear Prudie,
I have a smart and beautiful little girl with a rare genetic eye condition that causes a need for a prosthetic eye. It's something we are very open about with her, and with most people who ask questions. We want our daughter to know that it's nothing to be ashamed of and that she has a chance to educate genuinely caring people. Periodically, though, there are people who are just plain rude. These people (who often don't know us) have asked questions like, "Which parent did it come from?" or "Did you do something while you were pregnant to cause it?" How do we respond to these people while still teaching our daughter that although there is nothing to be ashamed of, there are limits to what is polite? Is there a polite way to say "None of your damn business"?
—Fed Up
Dear Fed,
Sometimes you just wish there were a prosthetic leg handy to apply to the head of people who would ask such questions. Yes, one is tempted to ask in return, "Is your behavior caused by a genetic condition?" but why risk further engagement with clods? If you feel the situation calls for you to speak, you could say, "I don't discuss such personal matters," or "I don't talk about my family with strangers." Also feel free to give a stunned stare and walk away.
—Prudie
Dear Prudence,
My parents fight constantly. I am 22 years old (employed and don't live at home), and I have never seen them go more than a few hours without getting into an argument. Neither of them is perfect. My father has a tremendously short temper, and my mother nags all the time, which has proven to be quite a volatile combination. I don't think they love (or even like) each other. I've never seen them kiss or say "I love you." But here's the kicker: They've been married for 30 years. Why won't they get a divorce? Should I recommend a divorce? I think the dating scene would be awkward for them. Are they just staying together out of desperation? What can I do? I love them both, but I hate to see them miserable.
Photograph of Prudie by David Plotz.


