Hi there, I always hear people say you should have sex when you are ready for sex, but my question is, when do you know when you are ready?

That's an excellent question, and probably one that is impossible to answer in general terms because there is no one answer. The term "ready" is going to be different for each individual depending on many factors. What might be easier to define is when one is not ready. For example, having sex because of peer pressure, because "everyone" else is doing it, shows a lack of maturity and thus proves that person unready. There is always the risk of an unintended pregnancy when having sex, and if such an occurrence would have a very negative effect on your life, then you're not ready. Also, it takes two people to have sex, and if your partner isn't totally ready, then you aren't ready either, like it or not.

If two people are very much in love, have been together for a while, have engaged in some sexual activity like mutual masturbation, are disease-free, understand how babies are made and how contraceptives work, could deal with an unintended pregnancy if one were to occur, and both have a very strong desire to have intercourse, then they may be ready. But again, even if all those circumstances existed, there still might be other conditions that made a couple not ready as it really is a personal decision.