Comments on: How to Talk to Your Child About Sex

on 8/26/2009 I'm going through this now with my daughter... trying to explain sex to her. I hate this part of parenting, but I know that how I handle this will set the tone for our entire relationship.

on 6/26/2009 WONDERFUL article! I think all parents need to read this.
Another pointer, if you have young children who ask any questions at all, answer them. Keep the answers short, if they have more questions they will ask. Telling them it's not appropriate to talk about such things means they will not feel comfortable approaching you in the future. Keep the communication lines open, but only answer the minimum until they are old enough to fully understand.

on 5/14/2009 I HAVE A SITUATION I DONOT KNOW TO DEAL WITH. MY GRANDKIDS MET THIS BOY TWO MONTHS AGO. I CAUGHT HIM

on 1/24/2007 Hold up..Wait a minute.... i no i would never want to hear my parents do that to me. i would be mortified. if i were a parent id stick to the school programs, the teachers are usually young and very helpful. they r trained to make you feel comfortable with the subject. and they make it fun! im a girl in middle school and my health teacher was a 27 year old guy. our classes were coed, but it was easy to talk and you werent pressured to talk about stuff if you didnt want to. actually we had a ton of discussions and you dont even realize what you were talking about.

In short, teachers were trained to make these talks comfortable and easy. The went to school for it and have all the answers.....LET THE SCHOOLS TALK then if you child has anything else to say they will be comfortable saying it to you because they talked about it with their whole class.

on 8/8/2006 If you broach the subject of sex at an early age, it can help make the more important talks later on in the teenage years far less uncomfortable for everyone. Make it clear that you are going to talk about it and that you promise to never, ever, misuse the trust they put in you if there's ever a question.

on 8/8/2006 My son is a typical, goofy, 11 year old, but he has demonstrated advanced maturity. That is how I knew talking about sex with him was OK. Don't get me wrong, he still giggles at the words "penis" and "boobs" but heck, most adults do too. Because we have a trust and connection, he comes to me with any and all questions he may have. I still remember when he asked me what crabs were. It comes down to knowing your child. Only you can determine when is the right time to bring up this sensitive subject. Another thing that helped was introducing it gradually. Letting him in on information appropriate for whatever stage of development he was in, and not bombarding him with it all at once. Because he was at the right age truly helped. I guess it started when he asked me why I get my period. That opened up explaining the female cycle and allowed me to explain how that interacted with man parts, as I call them. He is not shy or embarrassed about those discussions at all, anymore.

on 3/26/2006 Unless your child is being home schooled and has no interaction with other children, you can believe they are hearing and probably talking about it all. I have a 12 year old daughter and have found I really get my point across when I'm just as blunt as her peers are. I'm not at all embarrassed when speaking to her and I tell her exactly how it is. I create different scenarios, explain all possible outcomes of those scenarios, and let her know all of the possible approaches boys may come to her with and the possible outcomes should she give in. I'm just realistic and very honest with her and I can tell it makes a difference. She comes to me with all of her questions, concerns, and even concerns about her friends and asks how she can try to encourage them to make the right choices.

on 3/21/2006 When I was little, I remember getting a book and no one really explained anything to me. I now wish that my parents, or at least my Mom, had of sat down with me and told me everything, even though it would have been awkward. Children admire their parents much more than some stupid book. So the birds and bees talk is definitely worth while.

on 2/23/2006 I think that it's important to know what your child's school covers in terms of health and sex education. Some school's are good about informing parents about this and some aren't. When I was in 4th grade at an all-girls school, I was out with the flu during the three days in science class when we learned about "growing up." Somehow my parents never found out that this had been discussed in school and I was way behind my peers for at least a year in terms of my knowledge of puberty, sex, etc.

on 11/22/2005 I am a 24 year old mother of three and I wished someone had of talked to me about sex. The only thing that was said when I first started menstruating was, "You know you can get pregnant." I wasn't fully understanding what was being said. I was 17 when I had my first son. I still didn't understand totally. I had my last baby when I was 21. I still tell my dad to this day that I wished he had talked to me about sex, and the consequences that comes with it. I wouldn't trade my life, or my kids, for anything in the world. I would have rather been educated or talked to about sex. My point is to never be shy about talking to your child(ren) about sex.

on 11/22/2005 My mom raised 6 kids. I was the youngest. By the time I hit the "sexperiment" years, my mom was ready for me. She simply said, "You are growing up and you are going to start thinking and feeling things. You will have urges, and they are natural. When you think you may move into that stage of your life, come and talk to me. We want to make sure you are protected. Also, you can see the doctor for 'the pill.'"

My mom had always set up a safe home to discuss anything, so this really worked for me. When I got a serious boyfriend, I talked to my mom.

on 11/22/2005 Chat about sex, relationships, and reproduction as casually as opportunities present themselves (if someone they know is pregnant, when there is a relevant story on the news, when relationships are depicted in a storybook you are reading to your child). Answer your child's questions honestly. Also have books with reliable information around in case your kid feels more comfortable learning about sex on his own.

on 11/22/2005 We're already educated. All we need are the tools. If you want us to be safe, "accidentally" leave some condoms lying around and don't notice when a few are missing. Just don't talk to us about sex! It only embarrasses us to hear you say those words.

on 11/22/2005 I'm 14 and there is nothing more embarrassing than a parent talking to you about sex, especially if that parent is of the opposite sex. This can be hard. I know. My parents are divorced and I'm a guy living with my mom.