(I've never posted before, but have read for a long time. I'm finally being a little daring.)

I agree. I lost my virginity to a boy when I was ... well, too young, and it was definitely not worth it. While I don't exactly regret a lot of the choices I've made (I'm 19 and have slept with 9 people in 5 years) because they made me the person I am now, I would love now if I could have had my first experience with someone I cared about and someone who cared about me in return.

Reality is harsh. And I guess you can't appreciate other people's efforts and words until you've been there, eh?

sassee, thanks for adding weight to my argument.

I don't know a single woman who regrets 'waiting' until it felt right, but I know plenty who regret NOT waiting.

Trouble is, your first experience stays with you and influences your later experiences, pretty much the whole way through your life. You need to do everything in your power to ensure that that experience is a good one.

No doubt. I spent a lot of time drifting from boy to boy after I lost my virginity and none of the experiences I had were good. Low self-esteem and self-respect led me to one too many people who could not appreciate me. I thought that if I had sex with someone, that meant that they would like me. Definitely NOT true.

Anyway, I won't whine too much because now I'm with someone who loves and appreciates me, and I try not to think about those past experiences too much, although I know that they make me appreciate what I have much more now.

And I can definitely agree with people regretting not waiting. I've never met someone who did wait who said, "Oh, well, that was really stupid."