Sweetest Day a reminder to always, practice safe sex

Sweetest Day was this past weekend. I wouldn’t have remembered but for all the cars parked at my apartment Saturday night.

What’s even more surprising were all the texts I got the following day. Guys whose numbers weren't even saved in my phone anymore were hitting me up out of nowhere, asking me how I was, if I had graduated yet; a bunch of nonsense, really.

This isn't a story about Sweetest Day and if I had one or not, because the answer is no. Instead, it’s about two friends of mine who are abstaining from sex for two very different reasons.

I'll just call them Girl 1 and Girl 2.

When I asked Girl 1 why she decided to just be celibate all of a sudden, she said she just wanted to stop worrying about guys and take care of herself. Girl 2 has been in a relationship for about a month and a half when her boyfriend told her he had an STD – after they had already decided to be intimate.

Long story short, Girl 2 broke up with her boyfriend, went and got an STD test and decided to become celibate afterwards.

Girl 1 and 2 have two very different reasons to be celibate, Girl 1 wants to find self love, while Girl 2 is just scared of sex after what happened.

My advice to Girl 2: You can’t be fearful of sex or men just because of what happened. You just have to be more careful.

It’s important to be mindful of this now, because days like Sweetest Day are the perfect time for any of us to catch an STD or get someone pregnant. Guys hit us up saying they miss us, and since we don’t have a sweetie on Sweetest Day we fall in their trap and give them exactly what they want.

I'm not saying don't do it; we’re all adults and can make decisions for ourselves. But please, be more careful.

Don't just pull a condom out and think everything is okay. It’s important to ask about your partner’s sexual past and to also examine your own sex life, if you choose to do that.

Be prepared and be careful. If you are, you may not have to worry about anything for next year’s Sweetest Day.