life & style // 16 Stop HIV & hep C now » How to use a condom Andrea Arscott Senior Columnist Yo get home feeling rather proud of your recent purchase of a box of condoms, but now you're questioning your ability to use them. Settling in on the couch, you get out the laptop and start your investigation into proper condom usage. There’s a lot of information out there, and since youre already exhausted from having to decide which condoms to buy, you watch a video instead of reading through different websites. After clicking on SmartSexResource.com, you venture to the “condoms” page and click ona link, “how to put ona condom.” You watch an animated penis roll one on. He makes it look so easy: he opens the packet, pinches the tip, and rolls the thing all the way down. This process seems too simple to believe. You look for some more detailed instructions and discover that you should follow these steps when using a condom: 1. Check that the brand is one that is sold in stores and pharmacies. 2. Check the expiry date. 3. Check that they protect against HIV and other STIs—lambskin and novelty condoms don't. 4. Make sure they're made of latex, polyurethane, or polyisoprene. 5. Check that they’re lubricated—lubrication prevents friction, which prevents breakage. 6. Visually inspect the condom wrapper for damage. 7. Squeeze the packet to ensure there’s air in it. No air could mean there’s a hole in the packet and a hole in the condom—no protection there. 8. Open the condom from one serrated edge to the other. No need to use your teeth, scissors, hunting knives, safety pins, needles, or razor blades, and if you're camping, no need to break out the barbecue skewers, marshmallow sticks, or wiener pokers. g. Remove the condom and blow into it to make sure it’s the right side up. It should look like a sombrero and not a toque. 10. Pinch the tip and place it on the penis. You want to do this when the penis is hard. u. Roll the condom to the base of the penis. (If the condom doesn’t roll down, you've got it the wrong side up. Don’t just flip it over— there could be semen on that side, which means you could put your partner at risk if you've got a sexually transmitted infection or HIV. Get a new condom!) 12. To reduce friction, add more water-based lube. Stay away from oily alternatives, like baby oil, hand cream, or cooking oils. These can cause the materials to break down and can also cause irritation, possibly a yeast infection. 13. Once you've completed your love-making session, hold the base of the condom and withdraw from your partner soon after ejaculation. If you withdraw once you've lost your erection, you put your partner at risk because your body fluids could spill out into your partner. 14. Remove the condom away from your lover and place it in the garbage, not the toilet. 15. Never re-use a condom! : You may also want to read the : article at NBCNews.com titled : “Condom Use 101: Basic Errors : are So Common Study Finds.” : According to the article, almost : half of both men and women : who completed the study failed : to pinch the tip. Stop HIV and hep C now. : Know how to usea condom : before sex. Come down to the Purpose : Society testing clinic at 40 : Begbie Street in New West the : first and third Friday of the : month from 11 a.m. to1 p.m. : for anonymous and rapid HIV : testing and STI and HCV testing. : Wealso provide vaccines, free : harm reduction supplies, and : condoms! You can also get your : questions answered by emailing : sexyquestions@purposesociety. : org theotherpress.ca Dont spank your children » Disciplinary spanking is ineffective and can harm children psychologically Cynthia Yip The Peak (NUW) ? WwW“ you spanked as a child? In hindsight, do you feel resentment or even humiliation at being treated this way? The answer is likely yes. For these reasons, I am against spanking children. not be used as a disciplinary method, as it is ineffective and can damage familial relationships. Having grown up in Hong Kong, I was never spanked by my parents, though I’ve witnessed my uncle use force has become a Western cultural norm, and this is why : Many caregivers see it as an : appropriate parenting style, : when in fact it is the opposite. You may be surprised to : hear of a Canadian “spanking : law” which allows parents and : teachers to impose reasonable : force to discipline children : between the ages of two and 12. : But how does one draw the line Spanking one’s children should between what is reasonable and : : what is not? Inflicting pain on : achild is simply unreasonable, : no matter the severity. Many research findings : denounce spanking as an : ineffective parenting style, as : there are no observable long- : term benefits for children. : According to Psychology Today, on my cousins when they would : “~~ : misbehave. The act of spanking : “S'S this unnecessary force : may “erode developmental : growth in children and : decrease a child’s IQ” Spanking : also teaches children to fear : and show disrespect to their : parents, and even to lie so that : they may avoid punishment. While there are parents : who actually just intend to : teach their children a lesson, : sometimes they may use force : ona child out of frustration : and lack of control over their own temper. In losing control, : parents do not solve their : problems, but create them by : sending children the message : that it’s okay to inflict pain on : someone when upset. Furthermore, it’s not only : a parent’s duty to raise a child, : but to teach that child how : to bea parent in the process. : Disciplinary spanking gives : children the impression that : this is the correct way to act > with their future children, : which may in turn make : children more aggressive. Finally, when children are : spanked by the very people : who protect them, both the : child’s self-esteem and the : child-parent relationship are : damaged. My cousin later : told me that these childhood : experiences made her feel not : only ashamed of herself, but : of her parents as well. These : thoughts shake the foundation : of a relationship, and disrupt : the important emotional : connection that families are : supposed to have. Believe it or not, there are : more effective and appropriate : ways to discipline a child. A : few of these methods include : giving your children a time- : out session, rewarding your : children when they display while raising a family, one should never have to resort to violence as a method of discipline good behaviour, and always : modelling good behaviour as ; a parent. These methods are : painless, enforce positivity, and : will lead parents to positive relationships with their kids. I understand that it’s not : always easy to raise children, : but while raising a family, one : should never have to resort : to violence asa method of : discipline. In the end, your : child will thank you and I’m sure you'll thank yourself too.