Sex education has always been a sensitive subject. How much should you teach children about sex? And how early should you start to teach them? These are very difficult questions that are faced by all parents who are bringing up their children. Indeed it is also a problem that is faced by schools as well. Almost all sensible schools teach some sort or form of sex education and the controversy that surrounds that is always high. The fact is that the most important sex education that your child can get happens at home – and this leaves you free to set the boundaries. But given this is the case, it’s important to be geared up with the facts for what is sensible to teach them and when. So, here’s our guide to talk to your teenage child about sex.
Sex education at school is a great way of teaching children the basics of sex. Teenagers are notoriously difficult to talk to about sex and as awkward as it may seem, you are the person who needs to take the responsibility in education them about the reality of sexual activity and sexual intercourse. By reinforcing and expanding on what they have learned in sex education classes you are setting them up with a fantastic foundation with sexual knowledge. Indeed you are setting them up for their lives to be able to have a happy and healthy sexual time.
We are all exposed to sex all of the time. Through the mediums of advertising, news and other media including films, TV and books, sex surrounds our daily lives. While this is a bad thing for some people who would not like their children to be exposed to this sort of thing all of the time – we look at it as an opportunity. The fact is that children become relatively desensitised to sex and that means you can talk to them more openly and honestly about. So, one of our number one tips about talking to teenagers about sex has to be: seize the moment – when there is a news story or a scene in a TV show, talk the opportunity to discuss good sexual practices and bad ones. Remember that it is far more awkward to sit a child down to have a “chat about sex” than it is to just bring it up naturally in conversation.
Remember to consider your teenager’s point of view – don’t give them a lecture, make it a sensible discussion where nothing they say is ridiculous, just a step in the process of their learning. Don’t try to scare them off having sex – it is natural to be protective of your child, but you must also be realistic, and if they find themselves happy in the situation to have sex, it is better they have the true facts of the situation rather than lies designed to make them fear sex.
Make sure that you don’t just talk about the facts – teenagers need to know that there is much more to sex than just the raw, physical act. It is important for them to understand about the right ways to go about sex and about feeling comfortable in what they are doing.
There are plenty of topics surrounding sex that you’ll need to deal with including big questions such hanging around what do if they think they might be gay, or that their partner wants sex and they don’t but they don’t know how to tell them. You should be equipped to answer their questions and keep them feeling confident.
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