I realized this week that I’ve been having sex for half my life.

At 17, it seemed like I’d waited an awfully long time to find out what all the fuss was about. I’d only seen one R-rated movie (Pale Rider) and one Playboy centerfold, but I’d read a lot of erotically charged books.

In fact, I’d made a point of seeking out such novels after my eighth-grade teacher lent me Jean Auel’s The Valley of the Horses and changed my life forever. (Thanks, Mr. W.)

I was in love and on a mission. I’m the one who bought the condoms, which I managed to smuggle home safely despite running into my dad in the drugstore parking lot. And I’m the one who announced that we were going to Do It as soon as we found a private place to make the attempt.

Looking back, I’m proud of the results we managed, despite my romance-novel expectations and his anxiety about being discovered. What we lacked in lube we made up for with sweetness.

I’ve been talking to young people lately about my book, The Sexual Revolution 2.0. It’s a guide to the profound impact technology is having on our relationships and our sex lives, and I figured that today’s teens and college students would know exactly what I’m talking about.

This is a generation that came of age while their single parents tried online dating — a generation that carries cell phones, flirts over BlackBerries and prefers IM to e-mail (according to a Pew Internet and American Life Project report). (more..)

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