October 9, 2012 - I really didn't want to give Jennifer a specific number of partners so I could give myself some freedom in creating her backstory. It's definitely higher than what her mother would approve of though, which is fine because everyone's entitled to have his or her own opinions regarding what he or she is comfortable. As long as you're not getting hurt or hurting other people, you should feel free to have as much or as little sex as you want or even no sex at all.

So Jennifer's mother's opinion shouldn't really matter. What matters is Jennifer's own level of comfort with her sexual history and her ability to discuss her feelings and expectations with her partner privately rather than worry about judgment from outsiders (like her mother). It's okay to have different opinions on acceptable sexual behavior. Though generally speaking most people prefer to keep such behavior private, and they have every right to do so. So I reccommend not trying to force someone to confront a specific opinion, but always approach the topic from a non-judgmental perspective. There are a ton of reasons to talk to people about sex from establishing expectations and desires from such an interaction to seeking advice or preparing oneself for situations one's never before experienced. All this information can influence one's feelings on his or her situation but the attitude he or she adopts from these experiences should always come from within.

Always be willing to question whether or not you're okay with a situation and why or why not. There's nothing you have to do as well as nothing to be ashamed of should something happen outside your level of comfort. The most important thing is to try to give yourself the power to prepare yourself and engage in responsible behavior when you want to be sexually active and seek more information or simply walk away if you're not okay with a situation.

-D