How Dumbo Came About: Sex Talk With Your Children

Every parent dreads this moment. It seems like yesterday when their precious ones are still in diapers. And now they come up to you and ask you how they were made. You freeze; you don’t know what to say. You called your spouse to help you out. Changing your views about the situation might help you out. If your kid can come up to you and ask you about sex, it only shows your child is very comfortable talking to you and have the confidence you are going to listen to them. Children who can approach their parents this way are less likely to engage in high-risk behaviors.

Once they pop out the question, don’t hesitate to admit that you are uncomfortable with the situation. You can say something like “My mom and dad never talked to me about it, but I need us to talk about anything under the sun… even if it is about sex. If I don’t know the answer- i’ll find it out for you.” It can be quite tricky if your kid is 11 years old and still calls his penis banana or “the bee”. It’s easier if you started early with them in their toddler years. You can educate them be saying “This is baby’s nose, this is baby’s feet, this is baby’s penis..” As your child grows you can continue to add materials in educating about sex depending on her age and level of understanding.

Giving too much too soon information to your little ones about sex may result to misinformation. It is also much better to take initiative about sex education than to wait for them to ask about it. Take advantage of the situation if you both of you see someone who is pregnant. “Have you noticed your teacher’s tummy getting bigger and bigger? She has a little baby inside her. Do you know how her baby gets inside her?” then let the talk flow from there. This kind of conversationis less intimidating and they can absorb it easily. Eight to ten year-old kid can usually handle this kind of information.

If your child is around eleven to twelve years old, it is important to include the word love, caring, concern and responsibility when discussing about sex. You should send out messages of the consequences of sex and unwanted pregnancy and how can they protect themselves. It’s also necessary to instill about dating . As opposed to what they see in televisions and movies- two people don’t sleep together immediately after they meet. In real life there’s such thing as dating where two people give time to know each other very well. They go dancing, malling, movies or just hanging out together and talk.

This will only further confuse your kid. Usually eight years old will ask about why his body is changing and why is it different from girls. You can answer him directly-“Our body has this special chemical inside called hormone which tells whether you’re a boy or a girl- boys have penis and testicles and girls have vagina. Boys grow hair in their faces and their voice gets deeper as they grow….” Putting in the picture for an eight year-old girl that sooner or later she will be having her menstruation is advisable than later. Telling them as it is builds trust between you and your child.

Last but not the least, don’t forget to relax. What you know is less important than how you respond in this kind of situation. As long as they are aware that they can come up to for whatever subject they need to discuss, then you’re in the right tract.