It's Getting Hot in Here

Right now I'm writing a YA novel and it's totally throwing me. I'm used to my characters surprising me, but this is beyond that. The synopsis I wrote before I began my draft is NOTHING like the story that's coming out of me. Why? My characters pretty much laughed in my face. They let me know that they are 17 years old and they are full of emotions.

Am I beating around the bush? Yes. My face is probably red right now, too. Okay, I'll say it. My characters can't keep their hands off each other. I can't tell you how many times I've stopped typing and said, "Really, you're kissing again?" And a few times, I've had to step back and ask, "Um, are you going where I think you're going with this?" 

Here's my dilemna. As a mom, I'm afraid to write a YA novel where the characters have sex. As a former 17-year-old, I'm not stupid. I know that age is riddled with raging hormones. But do I want them in my novel?

So basically, I've held my characters back. I'm letting them feel things without fully acting on those feelings. But am I doing the right thing? That's the question I'm posing to you all today.

Should our manuscripts and characters be true to the age they are intended for? Or should we try to hold back from exposing kids of any age from certain topics like sex? What do you think?