My husband and I have raised our kids (22 and 18) to be sex positive. For years, your column and podcast have played a significant role in that, so thank you! The four of us are close and communicate openly. My daughter (18) has expressed an interest to me in eventually becoming a cam girl when she reaches her twenties. She is athletic, smart, pretty and confident, and I imagine she would be very successful. I can tell she wants me to give this idea a thumbs up. I'm hesitant about her viewing her blossoming sexually as a way to make money given the complicated messages our society gives young people, yet I want to be supportive. If your son were of age and wanted to pursue a similar course would you give him your blessing?

Meditating On Moneymaking

P.S. Yes, we both know she doesn't need my permission; no, I would not track or manage her videos; we are close, and all she wants is my feedback.

As I've said before, MOM, webcamming—aka camwhoring—is the safest form of sex work. Unlike strippers, escorts, pro-Doms, foot-fetish-party girls, etc., your daughter wouldn't be in the same room with her clients. Even better: cam girls (and boys) can block rude/annoying/creepy/aggressive men (and women). If choosy moms could choose one form of sex work for their kids—moms concerned about safety—choosy moms would choose webcamming.

That said, MOM, there are still risks—like a client taking screengrabs or recording videos and posting them online. Screengrabs and surreptitiously recorded videos can come back to haunt young cammers who want to become, say, teachers or politicians or movie stars when they grow up. And cam girls, like other kinds of sex workers, have been stalked and harassed by obsessed and/or vindictive clients. (Women who aren't sex workers have been stalked and harassed by obsessed and/or vindictive ex-boyfriends, former coworkers, complete strangers, etc.)

Sex work is hard work—the same can be said for waiting tables or flipping burgers—and webcamming can be a difficult gig to make profitable. Camming isn't the cash spigot many people assume it is. And while it may seem like it isn't all that time-consuming, MOM, camming involves actual physical labor and can involve way more emotional labor than your daughter might anticipate (or be prepared to do). If your daughter has any reservations, steer her first job towards something a little easier. Employees typically don't have to come—or appear to be coming—to get a paycheck from Shake Shack. If your daughter decides to do some camming, direct her towards resources like We Cam Girls and Camgirl Nation.

Finally, MOM, it sounds like you have a solid relationship with your daughter. Congratulations. That's rare. I have a similarly solid relationship with my son—in part because I don't answer hypothetical questions about him in this space.