My parents were alternately abusive (physically and emotionally) and neglectful (also physically and emotionally).

Don’t get me wrong—they housed us, clothed us, and fed us. My mother even gave us comprehensive sex education manuals when we were teenagers. By that standard, others might conclude they weren’t abusive. Unfortunately, they really were.

So, in my instance, I pretty much don’t tell my parents anything as an adult because of the abuse and neglect, not because of any discomfort around sex.

In a round about way I’m saying that caregivers have to demonstrate themselves trustworthy to gain that kind of disclosure, especially from non-adults under their care. Abusing those you’re wanting intimate information from is a sure fire way to guarantee they’ll lie to you, avoid telling you anything of real importance, and hide their real and honest selves from you, no matter how sorry you are after the fact.

Even if I wasn’t an abuse survivor, I might draw a hard and fast line around discussing sex with my parents simply because nonparticipants aren’t entitled to that kind of information.