Having the consent talk with your kid is super important… however, it can also be super awkward. Many of us have been on the other side of it — and many teens will try their absolute best to tune out their parents during any sort of uncomfortable conversation, especially regarding sex. But when you’re the one giving the talk, how are you supposed to get the message across?
Mom and comedian Mel Moon shared her version of the consent conversation, and proved that it is possible to get across all the important info on consent in an engaging, and not totally super awkward way.
No promises your child will not roll their eyes, of course, but maybe the eye roll will at least come along with a sense of understanding.
“I’m going to use my take on the famous tea analogy to get my point across in a light-hearted but informative way,” Moon said, in a video posted to TikTok.
The “famous tea analogy” Moon is referring to comes from a well-known YouTube video by BlueSeatStudios, but her delivery is really what drives the lesson home with her kid.
Moon films herself entering her teenage son’s room to have a chat about consent.
“Now, listen, today, we’re going to be talking about something very serious, okay, we’re going to be talking about consent,” she said. “Do you want a cup of tea before we get started?”
When her son says no, Moon continues to push.
“Are you sure, just the smallest cup of tea?” she asks.
“I make a really good cup of tea. It’ll be the best you’ve ever had,” she continues.
She goes on to tell her son that she’s already boiled the kettle, and is worried it might explode if he doesn’t have tea, and that everyone else is having tea, so he should, too.
“You don’t have to do anything, you know, I’ll make the tea. You can lie there. I’ll just pour it down your throat,” she says.
“How weird is that!” says her son.
Eventually, her son gives in, shouting, “Just get me the tea, Mom!”
Moon brings him tea, and her son then refuses to drink it.
“So I’ve gone to the trouble of making the tea, and now that it’s here, you don’t want it,” she says.
“Why are you being so weird about tea?” her son yells.
Moon asks if he’s uncomfortable, and when he says yes, she replies, “That is consent, my boy.”
“If she says no, she doesn’t want to do it, and if you constantly try and convince her, even when she eventually says yes, because she’s so sick of your moaning, she still doesn’t want to do it. And that is non consensual,” she explained.
Parents applauded Moon’s method in the comments.
“As a mother of girls, I appreciate mums like you,” said one user.
“First I was like ‘HE TOLD YOU NO’ followed by an immediate ‘aaaaaaah right, job well done’ 😂,” said another.
“That was the best way I’ve seen to teach the concept of consent. I will be using this one,” said another user.
It’s important to have open conversations with your kids about consent, and Moon certainly offers an interesting method to try out. But, if you’re worried your own delivery won’t land, even just texting her TikTok to your child is a great first step.
