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Let's talk about sex, baby … " The song blared from the radio of the car next to me.

I wondered if anyone else could hear the lyrics. That's when I realized that everybody could, whether they were sitting next to me or were halfway across the country.

The message screams from every billboard, every television show and every song: "All day long, I dream about sex." "I'm a sexaholic." "Hike up your skirt a little more … "

Sex is everywhere.

To most, this doesn't seem shocking. In fact, it's not even surprising that I'm talking about sex in a teen magazine. Everybody talks about it. We live in a society where we are supposed to be open, exposed, naked. Forget the outdated idea that sex is only for married couples. Forget trying to tell teenagers not to have sex. They will anyway, right?

There is something wrong when little boys and girls in elementary school read about birth control. There is something twisted in the fact that every child seems to have the wrong ideas about sex before the age of 8 or 9. Sex education started for many of my friends in third grade. In junior high, a friend and I were handed condoms as we walked through the mall.

Little girls skim popular fashion magazines, trying to find a way to impress the boys. Elementary kids are listening to music about sex and lust. Many girls adore popular teen sensation Britney Spears, who sings, "Baby, don't you wanna dance upon me (are you ready) … Get it get it, get it get it (WHOOOA), get it get it, get it get it (OOOHHHH) [panting]," and boy band *NSYNC, which sings, "We started grinding … up against the wall." Many young guys are big fans of Eminem, who raps, "I'm a rapist and a prison escapist."

Television shows with sexual themes are abundant.

Dawson's Creek and Sex in the City scream that sex is OK. More and more, children watch R-rated movies with family members and friends. Stand in line at any theater, and you'll probably see a child hand-in-hand with Mom or Dad.

I'm glad I grew up in a family where my parents cared about what I saw and did. I'm glad my parents never let me watch PG-13 movies until I was 13. I'm glad my parents wouldn't let me go on a date with the boy I'd just met at a fast-food restaurant. I'm glad my parents told me it's not OK to have sex before I'm married. I'm glad my parents told me to keep certain things private. I know they love me because they give me standards to live by.

They told me that some things are not to be shared with everyone. They taught me it's OK to blush. Some people may whisper about how I'm repressed and not experiencing life to the fullest. I disagree because, remember, I'm not the one who's pregnant. I don't have a sexually transmitted disease. I'm not concerned about birth control. I simply refuse to buy into the idea that sex is all that matters.

I enjoy writing poetry, spending time with my friends, acting in plays, eating ice cream, dancing in the rain. I like traveling, watching sunsets, joking with my sister, singing in the shower.

No, I'm not deprived. I think it's actually some of the other young people who might be. They're deprived of parents who fail to give guidelines and set limits to what they can and can't do. They're deprived of romance in their relationships because instead of commitment there's sex, and that's all. They're deprived of being able to give the incredible gift of their virginity to their husband. They're missing out on some of life's simple pleasures.

Yes, they may be loud, independent, sexually free. But are they happy?

A 2002 grad of Northern Arizona University, Stephanie Sheaffer first wrote this article for her local newspaper, the Tucson Citizen, when she was a high school senior. We thank Stephanie and the Citizen for allowing us to adapt her article for Campus Life.

Read more from 'Sex & Abstinence'

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