--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Mothers are doing a better job talking…" description: "\"Mothers are doing a better job talking about risk, danger, reproduction, consent, unwanted pregnancy. We're not talking about how to balance the risks ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/peggy-orenstein-11585_balance_mothers-are-doing-a-better-job-talking-a_291302.jpg" --- # Mothers are doing a better job talking about risk, danger… ![“Mothers are doing a better job talking about risk, danger, reproduction, consent, unwanted pregnancy. We're not talking about how to balance the risks and joys and we're really not talking about the joys.” quote by Peggy Orenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/peggy-orenstein-11585_balance_mothers-are-doing-a-better-job-talking-a_291302.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/peggy-orenstein-11585_balance_mothers-are-doing-a-better-job-talking-a_291302.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/peggy-orenstein-11585_balance_mothers-are-doing-a-better-job-talking-a_291302.jpg) > “Mothers are doing a better job talking about risk, danger, reproduction, consent, unwanted pregnancy. We're not talking about how to balance the risks and joys and we're really not talking about the joys.” [Peggy Orenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-orenstein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote critiques the focus on danger and risk in sexual education while neglecting the positive aspects of intimacy. **In simple terms:** Sex education emphasizes risk over joy. Key Takeaway Include both risks and joys in sexual education. Themes sexual education risk joy consent reproduction Mood reflective concerned Type educational advocacy When to use this quote - school curricula - parent‑child talks - health workshops - media campaigns Key Concepts public health gender studies communication Questions to Reflect On - How can educators integrate pleasure without encouraging risky behavior? - What barriers prevent open discussion of sexual joy? A Different Perspective Balancing joy and risk can be culturally sensitive and politically contested. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Better jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-jobs/) [Consent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consent/) [Danger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danger/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mothers/) [Not talking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-talking/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Pregnancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pregnancy/) [Reproduction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reproduction/) [Risk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/risk/) [Unwanted pregnancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unwanted-pregnancy/) ## Related quotes > [Sex-ed courses look at girl's internal parts: for boys it's about ejaculation, erection and wet dreams; for girls, it's periods and unwanted pregnancy. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-orenstein/sex-ed-courses-look-at-girl-s-internal-parts-for-boys-it-s-about/) [Peggy Orenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-orenstein/) > [I think a lot of mothers are doing as I am: starting up their own ventures as their children grow older, and having a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-air/i-think-a-lot-of-mothers-are-doing-as-i-am-starting-up-their-own/) [Donna Air](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-air/) > [ “\[On how mothers are "doing the most important job" in the world by raising children\]: If, in fact, it were the most important thing… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-r-hirshman/on-how-mothers-are-doing-the-most-important-job-in-the-world-by/) Linda R. Hirshman > [Shout out to all of the young mothers who are doing what they have to do to insure a good life for their child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/shout-out-to-all-of-the-young-mothers-who-are-doing-what-they-have-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Like always: Shout out to all the mothers that are doing what the fathers couldn't. HAPPY FATHERS DAY MOM!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crapp/like-always-shout-out-to-all-the-mothers-that-are-doing-what-the/) [Crapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crapp/) > [“Candy felt helpless; no one seemed to understand why she was standing there. Children were colliding with her at hip level, and this awkward,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/candy-felt-helpless-no-one-seemed-to-understand-why-she-was-standing/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [When he saw what drugs or alcohol or unwanted pregnancy did to kids he fell in love with, he realized there had to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-gunsalus-gonzalez/when-he-saw-what-drugs-or-alcohol-or-unwanted-pregnancy-did-to-kids/) Catherine Gunsalus Gonzalez > [Most of the problems that plague our society - addiction, overeating, crime, domestic violence, prejudice, debt, unwanted pregnancy, educational failure, underperformance at school and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-baumeister/most-of-the-problems-that-plague-our-society-addiction-overeating/) [Roy Baumeister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-baumeister/) > [“It always seemed like there was too much in real life I was supposed to be afraid of: drunk drivers, rapists, unwanted pregnancy, HPV,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leila-howland/it-always-seemed-like-there-was-too-much-in-real-life-i-was-supposed/) [Leila Howland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leila-howland/) > [Morality becomes hypocrisy if it means accepting mothers' suffering or dying in connection with unwanted pregnancies and illegal abortions and unwanted children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gro-harlem-brundtland/morality-becomes-hypocrisy-if-it-means-accepting-mothers-suffering-or/) [Gro Harlem Brundtland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gro-harlem-brundtland/) > [Sorry your freshman 15 turned out to be an unwanted pregnancy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sorry-your-freshman-15-turned-out-to-be-an-unwanted-pregnancy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Lifelong pain, an unwanted pregnancy, and even death may be the reward for such a brief window of pleasure. What a foolish gamble!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-dobson/lifelong-pain-an-unwanted-pregnancy-and-even-death-may-be-the-reward/) [James C. Dobson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-dobson/) > [The masturbation myth is absolutely responsible for more unwanted pregnancies and diseases than anything else on the planet earth. During the middle ages, dictator-like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-luckett/the-masturbation-myth-is-absolutely-responsible-for-more-unwanted/) [Johnny Luckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-luckett/) > [But over 20 years ago I was a victim of rape. And thank god it didn't result in a pregnancy. Because I can't imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-whitmer/but-over-20-years-ago-i-was-a-victim-of-rape-and-thank-god-it-didn-t/) [Gretchen Whitmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-whitmer/) > [Stuck in an unhappy marriage on the path to divorce, my father concluded that abortion should be the solution to the unplanned, unwanted pregnancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-cooper/stuck-in-an-unhappy-marriage-on-the-path-to-divorce-my-father/) [Brett Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-cooper/) ## More by Peggy Orenstein > [A lot of what happens in consensual encounters and in the way we talk to both girls and boys about sex creates a medium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-orenstein/a-lot-of-what-happens-in-consensual-encounters-and-in-the-way-we-talk/) [Peggy Orenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-orenstein/) > [Parents tend to name all of baby boys' body parts, but with girls they go from belly button to knees with this void in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-orenstein/parents-tend-to-name-all-of-baby-boys-body-parts-but-with-girls-they/) [Peggy Orenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-orenstein/) > [There is only one princess in the Disney tales, one girl who gets to be exalted. Princesses may confide in a sympathetic mouse or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-orenstein/there-is-only-one-princess-in-the-disney-tales-one-girl-who-gets-to/) [Peggy Orenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-orenstein/) > [ Saying "yes" \[to sexual activity\] is a pretty low baseline for sexual experience and I wanted to write about what was happening to girls… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-orenstein/saying-yes-to-sexual-activity-is-a-pretty-low-baseline-for-sexual/) [Peggy Orenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-orenstein/) > [All girls over age 14 remove pubic hair. The only touching is to remove hair. That's grim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-orenstein/all-girls-over-age-14-remove-pubic-hair-the-only-touching-is-to/) [Peggy Orenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-orenstein/) > [But it is Bella, not the supernaturals she falls in with, who is the true horror show here, at least as a female role…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-orenstein/but-it-is-bella-not-the-supernaturals-she-falls-in-with-who-is-the/) [Peggy Orenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-orenstein/) > [Sex-ed courses look at girl's internal parts: for boys it's about ejaculation, erection and wet dreams; for girls, it's periods and unwanted pregnancy. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-orenstein/sex-ed-courses-look-at-girl-s-internal-parts-for-boys-it-s-about/) [Peggy Orenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-orenstein/) > [For years we've used the bases analogy - with intercourse being the "ultimate sex" even though that's probably not going to feel good to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-orenstein/for-years-we-ve-used-the-bases-analogy-with-intercourse-being-the/) [Peggy Orenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-orenstein/) > [“Identify, I've learned, can be sliced many ways and there is gain with every loss.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-orenstein/identify-i-ve-learned-can-be-sliced-many-ways-and-there-is-gain-with/) [Peggy Orenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-orenstein/) > [“The beauty was just mind-boggling for this English girl...It was like being in your own national park, but without the signs telling you what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-orenstein/the-beauty-was-just-mind-boggling-for-this-english-girl-it-was-like/) [Peggy Orenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-orenstein/) > [“That said, pointing out inaccurate or unrealistic portrayals of women to younger grade school children-ages five to eight-does seem to be effective, when done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-orenstein/that-said-pointing-out-inaccurate-or-unrealistic-portrayals-of-women/) [Peggy Orenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-orenstein/) > [American Psychological Association, the girlie-girl culture’s emphasis on beauty and play-sexiness can increase girls’ vulnerability to the pitfalls that most concern parents: depression, eating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-orenstein/american-psychological-association-the-girlie-girl-culture-s-emphasis/) [Peggy Orenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-orenstein/) > [“To bring home the point, she compared New Years resolutions of girls at the end of the nineteenth centyry with those at the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-orenstein/to-bring-home-the-point-she-compared-new-years-resolutions-of-girls/) [Peggy Orenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-orenstein/) > [“Maybe it was just one of those days when you hear an old question a new way, that quite suddenly shifts your perspective.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-orenstein/maybe-it-was-just-one-of-those-days-when-you-hear-an-old-question-a/) [Peggy Orenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-orenstein/) > [The anesthetizing against caring really threw me for a loop. I was seeing it with 15-year-olds. It was how they were starting their intimate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-orenstein/the-anesthetizing-against-caring-really-threw-me-for-a-loop-i-was/) [Peggy Orenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-orenstein/) [Explore all 59 Peggy Orenstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-orenstein/) ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I never understood how much running changes your life. I'm now obsessed. When not trying to beat my personal best, I'm talking to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-never-understood-how-much-running-changes-your-life-i-m-now/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Whatever needed to be done, I need to know how to do it just as well as my wife. You know, for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/whatever-needed-to-be-done-i-need-to-know-how-to-do-it-just-as-well/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I don't think my parents would have let me go straight into acting full time when I was 12. I do like to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-don-t-think-my-parents-would-have-let-me-go-straight-into-acting/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Mothers are doing a better job talking about risk, danger, reproduction, consent, unwanted pregnancy. 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