The talk. It’s slightly awkward and definitely a tad uncomfortable, but I know I’ll never forget the day my mom asked me if I knew about “the birds and the bees.”

I was 10, we were in my room and I laughed. Sorry Mom, my older cousins already filled me in long ago — and thankfully, it was before we were all subjected to those horrible puberty videos in fifth grade health class.

But what I’ll always remember from our conversation was not so much all the sordid details, but the fact that my mom and I had a talk in the first place. That there was a dialogue. And that, from that point forward, I could feel comfortable talking to her about these kinds of issues. Needless to say, it was the first talk of many.

Still, nothing can truly prepare you for the moment you accidentally walk in on your parents doing the dirty. Which, fittingly, happened a few weeks later.

And that prompted a whole new conversation with both of my parents, where most importantly, I was taught how to knock.

That was the turning point though. From then on, I was always open with my parents about all things sex-related, and they were open with talking to me. No, I’ve never gone into detail about the exact particulars of my orgasm, but I’ve never been too shy to ask questions.

From that young age, my parents always instilled in me that no matter how awkward or strange the topic, I should never feel nervous talking to them. They wanted me to feel comfortable with having an open dialogue with them where I wasn’t judged, and it’s something I’ll always respect and treasure.

And even more importantly, they taught me that sex isn’t something dirty or something to be ashamed of. Instead, they taught me that sex is an important aspect of a relationship, and it’s just another way for both parties to express themselves together.

It sounds a little sappy, and in college many of us have the “hit it and quit it” mentality, but I’ve always kept this notion in the back of my head. It’s probably why I didn’t lose my virginity until I was dating someone.

It’s also probably why I’m not embarrassed or grossed out knowing that my parents are also “expressing themselves.” Knowing my parents have sex just assures me that they are still in a loving, caring and more importantly, functioning relationship. And in this day and age where the divorce rate is higher than you are after a trip to the woods behind College-in-the-Woods, I’m comforted by it.

So when I asked my dad how my parents’ Valentine’s Day date was going and he responded by saying that he was chasing my mom around the house, but the only action he was getting was our dog barking (I later found out they were actually at dinner), it was totally without a doubt an overshare — but hey, I wasn’t freaking out at the thought of my parents doing it and I’m still not.

And you shouldn’t either.