Diana Wiley, sex therapist, recalls embarrassing moments raising her daughter

Teenagers are often mortified by their parents, but CBC story producer Kate Wiley says growing up with her mother was especially trying.

Kate Wiley is the daughter of Diana Wiley, a renowned family and sex therapist who has appeared on national television and radio shows and on stages across the U.S. to talk about sex.

"Well, there are a few things I had to get used to living with a sex therapist," says Kate Wiley. "Like discussing premature ejaculation at the dinner table."

Diana Wiley is currently in Victoria, where her daughter lives, to give a presentation at the second annual Ageless Living Expo.

Kate Wiley took the opportunity to reminisce with her mother about a few key moments in her life — like the time her mother faked an orgasm in front of her fellow students at Georgetown University.

'That was probably a little bit much'

In Kate Wiley's dorm, her mother answered questions about sex for a crowd of enthusiastic young men and women.

Mother Wiley was explaining how women need more oxygen when they're about to climax; she then demonstrated what that sounded like in front of the small audience. 

"That was probably a little bit much," says Diana Wiley. "But probably the students remember it."

Courtney O'Donnell, Kate Wiley's former college roommate, was one of those students. She remembers the incident well. In particular, she remembers her friend's reaction.

"Kate was not so pleased by her mother's performance and left shortly thereafter," said O'Donnell.

Being thankful

Other family members have their own memories of growing up with a famous sex therapist in the family.

One of the most memorable family moments for Kate Wiley's cousin Sarah LaBrache was at a special Thanksgiving.

All of the adults took their turns sharing what they were most thankful for that year.

LaBrache recalls clearly what Diana Wiley was thankful for: Astroglide, a new type of personal lubricant.

In fact, she was so thankful for it she even had samples to hand out. LaBrache remembers sitting next to her grandfather, who thought it was toothpaste.

"I just took the basket and kept passing it on," she said.

Diana Wiley doesn't recall that particular moment, but she does remember her enthusiasm for Astroglide, which she says was one of the first water-based personal lubricants on the market.

She even went on the Joan Rivers Show to tell people about it when it first came out.

As for talking about sex in public, she now knows she probably crossed a few boundaries — especially with her daughter.

Still, she doesn't regret having been open with her daughter about sex and intimacy. She says she has many clients who never spoke with their mothers about the subject and she thinks they suffered sexually as a result. 

"The trade-off is you have a mother who says too much or you have a mother who doesn't say anything," she said.

To hear more embarrassing stories from CBC story producer Kate Wiley, listen to the audio labelled: My mom, the sex therapist.