The moment I told my parents I had to buy condoms, my father sucked in his breath and got the strangest look on his face. And my mother, well, she was just shocked. After some temporary awkwardness, they were relieved to hear that this trip to the pharmacy was just to do some research.

My Trip to the Pharmacy

When I first walked through the door of Walgreens, I got this uneasy feeling in my gut. I suddenly felt like everyone knew exactly what I was there for—condoms.

As a teen, I had so many questions running through my mind about buying condoms. Where do I go? What will they say to me? Will they sell me condoms or deny me them because I'm a teenager?
 
First off, any teen can buy condoms, no matter his or her age. There's no law against it. In fact, more and more teens are actually using them as protection. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 63 percent of teens currently report having used a condom the last time they had intercourse, as compared to 46 percent of teens in 1991.

 
And, the teen pregnancy rate is declining, too—the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy reports that the rate declined 28 percent between 1990 and 2000. Not bad!

 
Many teens feel nervous about buying condoms because our society makes it such a terrifying experience. In a nutshell, the United States is very uncomfortable with sex—more specifically, teen sex. Adults seem to forget that we have hormones, too! (They may be new to us, but we've still got 'em!)

 
Many teens, though, move past the fear and head to their local drug store. Sixteen-year-old Jorge Flores, of New Jersey , overcame his fear of being "caught," when he first bought condoms. He explains, "I was just thinking about protecting myself and trying to forget as soon as possible [that people were looking at me]."

 
I, on the other hand, was still nervous. I stumbled my way through the aisles, pretending that I didn't know what I was looking for. As I wandered through the aisles, I felt ashamed of what I was doing. After all, throughout my whole teenage life, I was told how bad it was to have sex.

 
Everyone used to always tell me that women should wait until they are married to have sex. They drilled this into my head, so I felt like I was doing something wrong.

 
I tried my best to start breathing again. I was just another person walking into a Walgreens, right? Well, I was until I approached a sales representative and asked what aisle the condoms were in.

 
Just by asking that question, I was pretty sure that she considered me more of a slut than she did when I first walked in. An older woman, she looked at me with a half-amazed, half-confused look on her face. Then she said, "Condoms? Uhhh…I think they're in aisle 3 or 4."

Off I went. As I walked away, she asked me in a motherly tone, "Are the condoms for you or someone else?" I felt my face burn cherry red as I faked a smile and proceeded down the aisle. I couldn't believe she said that to me! I couldn't believe that a complete stranger would ask me that question. At that point, I was more offended than embarrassed.

Trojan and Durex and Lifestyles—Oh My!

I just waited until I regained the courage to head to the condom aisle. When I finally got there, I read the packages of many different kinds of condoms—lubricated, non-lubricated, extra pleasure. There were so many, I didn't know which one to pick. They had so many different colors, too. Should I pick it based on color, name, style, or pleasure?

 
I did what any customer in need would do. I went in search for more help. I found a clerk around my age, which made things a lot easier, and told her that this was my first time buying condoms. She smiled and let out a little laugh. She advised that I try the Durex condoms, which in her opinion were the best. (Note: Any condoms, specifically Trojan, Durex, and Lifestyles, which are latex and made in the U.S. are a good choice.)

 
She then asked me if I was allergic to latex. "Latex is the most popular material used for condoms; it is also the safest when it comes to disease prevention," she said, while we stood in the aisle. But if you are allergic to latex, have no fear—polyurethane is an acceptable alternative. 

 
I told her that I wasn't allergic to latex, and she handed me my first box of condoms—a pleasure pack with four different assorted styles. There were 12 in the box and it only cost $12.99. With a smile she said, "Be careful and have fun."

Now What?

It was such a relief when I paid for them and got out of there.

 
But once you get them home, then what? How do you use them? I continued my research, but didn't have to go very far. The Sex, Etc. experts answered a question just like mine in the Frequently Asked Questions and you can check it out here.

 
A lot to take in, isn't it? Buying condoms for the first time was overwhelming, especially since I went without much information. I don't recommend going unprepared—it really pays to research condoms before you buy them, and now that I know more, I feel much more comfortable than I did before. 

 
Being safe is better than being sorry. Besides, if you don't feel comfortable going alone, you can always go with a friend or a trusted adult.

Now It's Your Turn

I feel that gradually, adults are starting to understand that some teens have sex. They don't all necessarily accept it, but at least they know. So teens that are having sex need to show adults that we know how to protect our partners and ourselves—and try and talk to them about their decision to have sex. And we don't need to do it just for them—we need to do it for ourselves.

 
It's important to protect yourself—that is, be sure to buy and use condoms. Forget what you fear people might think about you at that moment. Just feel good that you're protecting yourself against unplanned pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). I think getting pregnant or an STD would be more embarrassing than buying a condom, don't you?

 
After my trip to Walgreens, I realized that buying condoms wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I felt good about myself for doing something that would help me and other teens that struggle with buying that first package of condoms. It was a worthwhile experience.

 
So, I got past my fear of buying condoms—now it's your turn.