According to Sabrina Weill, author of "The Real Truth About Teens and Sex," the biggest myth around teenage sexuality is that teens don't want to talk about sex with their parents.

"Many studies show, including my own, that parents have the most impact over anyone else in their child's life, including their friends and the media," says Weill.

Weill -- the former editor in chief of Seventeen Magazine and the founding executive editor of Cosmo Girl! -- debunks myriad issues surrounding teen sex on Thursday, July 6, at 7 p.m. when she presents "Six Critical Conversations: Talking with Your Teen" at the Radisson North Star, 7065 N. Port Washington Rd.

Weill will offer suggestions on how to talk to kids about sex, how parents can overcome their own embarrassment, and how to create dialogue so teens feel comfortable talking with parents about sex.

"The Real Truth About Teens and Sex" is based on real letters, emails, interviews and a nationwide survey. Topics include questions, fears and concerns from teens, and the book serves as a porthole to what really goes on at parties, at school and at home.

Weill, who lives in Manhattan with her husband and two children, started working for Seventeen as an editorial assistant in 1995. Her job was to choose the letters for the "Sex and Body" column in the magazine.

"Back then -- before e-mail -- I read letters in loopy handwriting. They questions were a lot more naïve then, but over the course of a decade, I watched the questions evolve," she says.