“What’s your take on this lyric?”

I was slightly overwhelmed this week by the number of messages I received from folks asking for my opinion about a Taylor Swift lyric. Even though I was overwhelmed - I feel honored that y’all value my opinion!

To be completely honest with you, I’m not a Swiftie. I hadn’t even paid attention to the album drop. So when I got loads of messages asking about my take on a specific lyric - not even knowing which song it belonged to - it made me feel a bit anxious!

Eventually, I found the song. It’s called Wood. And yes - all the sexual innuendos you are thinking of are accurate. The lyric that many parenting experts are weighing in on is, “His love was the key that opened my thighs.”

I took a few women’s studies courses during my time at Uni. And this lyric has a lot to unpack from a feminist perspective. But that’s not exactly what I want to talk about here. If you want to use this lyric to have a sex talk, what should you say? What’s an appropriate age to be explaining this lyric? How do you know your kid is ready to learn about it? Let’s get into that.

If your middle-school aged kid (ages 10,11,12) was to ask you, “What does Taylor mean by this?” You can use the script inside the reel I made (linked later on in this email). But here’s the really important thing - in order for this talk to go the way it did in the reel, the parent must’ve already had the basic sex talk.

The basic sex talk is in fact explaining what is sex. I break this down in the Sex Talks Starter Pack and encourage parents to have this talk at some point during the Intermediate age (ages 7,8,9). Now many parents push back at this recommendation saying it’s just too early to tell kids about sex. I completely disagree for many reasons but the one reason I want to focus on today is laying the foundation to future talks.

It takes on average 7 times for an adult to hear the same thing before they actually remember it! 7 times 🤯 - and that’s an adult brain that’s fully developed! Now imagine what that number is for a child’s brain? Repetition is a good thing and this isn’t only for math or sports - it’s applicable to the sex talk too!

By starting early and just casually having the sex talk - you’re making it just another talk, along with the many talks that you have about many other things. You’re giving yourself and your kid time to absorb and process the information. You will be able to just give the basic medically-accurate information a few times without needing to explain slang terms or having to add your values and beliefs around it.

It will be so simple that you’ll wonder why you were putting off having the sex talk in the first place!

This repetition of explaining sex and why it’s not something children do over the course of a few years, lends itself as a foundational talk to answering questions in the future like, “What’s a blowjob?” or “What does that lyric mean?” You will have already laid the foundation to simply say, “Remember when we talked about what sex is? This is referring to…”.

Don’t hesitate getting prepared to have the sex talk at some point during the Intermediate age. If you need some guidance on how to get started, check out Top Talks.

📣Attention: Parents enrolled in Top Talks:Unlimited Access 📣

It’s time to update Top Talks!! Please check your email as the link to provide your feedback was sent out Wednesday, October 8.

NOTE: If you are currently enrolled in Top Talks: 35 Days access and would like to upgrade to Unlimited Access - simply Reply to this email and say - Upgrade to Unlimited! I’ll send you information on how to easily upgrade.

• What new talks do you need inside Top Talks?

• Did your kid ask a question that you still weren’t sure how to answer? I wanna know!!

• Is there a specific lesson that you want to see explained more in-depth?

It’s my goal to keep Top Talks relevant and working for you! I automatically update all statistics (if there is new data) as well as anything that may seem dated. Since I’m currently using Top Talks with my own kids, I already have a few new things that I’ll be updating inside the Online Safety Talk and the Sex Talk. Next week is your chance to tell me what’s been working well for you and what could be tailored a bit more for a better fit!

Here’s the Top Talks Timeline for 2025’s Update

• Wednesday, October 8: Feedback form was emailed to all parents enrolled in Top Talks: Unlimited Access!

• Thursday, October 23: Deadline for feedback

• November: Feedback compiled and assessed based on popularity and relevancy.

• December: New lessons are drafted

• January 2026: Top Talks is re-released with all new updates with an adjusted price.

You will still have access to all the lessons and digital downloads inside Top Talks while the update is happening.

Parents currently enrolled in Top Talks: Unlimited Access will receive all the updates in January 2026 at no additional cost.

So if you’ve been thinking about getting better prepared to answer your kid’s questions, now is great time to join Top Talks: Unlimited Access. 

Here’s what parents are saying about Top Talks:

“His love was the key that opened my thighs” -Taylor Swift

Here’s my take on this lyric ⤵️ (don’t forget to read the caption! lots of additional information in there!)

thekathleenhema

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www.kathleenhema.com

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Does your PTA, Non-Profit, or Company want to have me speak about the importance of having the early talks? Getting your parent-friends on board with the talks can make a huge difference to your child’s learning environment. When kids notice that it’s not a taboo or secretive topic and other kids at school are all aware, the topic doesn’t seem as exciting to talk about on the bus or at recess. Email me and let’s plan a Top Talks for Parents Night.

As a content creator I aim to make engaging and helpful content but not too many brands want to partner with me due to the topic I talk about. Buy Me a Coffee. Your donation would be greatly appreciated!!

Hey Brand Managers: Would like to work with me and my community of over 500K across platforms? send me an email! (FYI: I don’t promote adult toys.)

You’re raising kids and I’m raising kids and we all want our kids to experience healthy and supportive friendships and relationships now and in the future. Thank you for educating your kids! -Kathleen💕