How to share sensitive information with your child based on his age!
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Parents have a huge responsibility in shaping their child’s personalities and helping them grow into confident and successful adults in society. Therefore, they must educate children about every critical aspect of life, healthy habits, benevolent attitude, money management, relationships, and even “sex”.
Parents commonly use the “The Birds and Bees’ Talk” phrase to explain the sex and reproduction process to young kids. However, using such words might lead to ambiguity, and kids might pick incorrect information from unsolicited sources out of curiosity.
Be The First Person To Talk About Birds And Bees
As parents, it is crucial to be the first communicators of sensitive information such as that of birds and bees. Schools do their bit in educating students about sex. However, a parent knows their son or daughter better than anyone. Therefore, only a parent can do total justice in imparting delicate information to their children. Such conversations are not one-time but should be recurring. Parents should do it at age-appropriate intervals. Mainly because this is a complicated topic, kids need to hear from a reliable source such as a parent. Children need continuing hand-holding and guidance in understanding sex to avoid forming incorrect opinions from their friends or back-bench conversations.
Parents must also encourage their kids not to be ashamed of their intimate body parts and their changes due to puberty. Additionally, parents must maintain an open channel with their kids so they do not hesitate to seek clarification.
Share Information Based On Your Child’s Age
To start with, you can talk about what defines a healthy and non-toxic relationship. When kids grow older, you can delve into the details of courtship and how consent plays an important role. The intent is not to scare kids but to ensure that they have the proper guidance and awareness before treading the unknown path.
If you offer accurate information to educate the child, they'll grasp what they can, and the rest will go over their head. So, be cautious about the detail that you talk to your child. Information you share with a 10-year-old is different from what you share with a 15-year-old. So, do your research before the uneasy talks, and don’t get into the scientific details if they are too young to understand.
Best Way To Have The Talk
Even though parents understand the necessity of giving sex education, they often get confused about where and when to start. Start early when curiosity begins. Children see small babies and start questioning where they came from. Be calm and tell them that an egg from mommy and sperm from daddy was required. Hear them out for questions. For adolescents, you can explain further how the human reproductive system works.
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Another approach is to encourage the child to identify intimate body parts without feeling embarrassed. It will boost their confidence in handling challenging conversations and aid in their understanding of sex when they enter adolescence.
Most importantly, find a time when you are relaxed and when a child is also in a receptive mood. You can pick a suitable slot for this, maybe during an evening walk or after your child has done his/her favorite activity. Casually bring up the topic of how things are going on in school. Then, advance to the actual subject of discussion. When the stage is set for your child to absorb information, talk to them -- as per their age group -- about puberty, hormonal changes in the body, the feelings it initiates, and sexual relationships.
Conclusion
Initiating the talk about sex and reproduction must not be an uneasy conversation between the parent and the child. Being educated about sexual health and human reproduction is as important as being aware of other processes in the body, such as the digestive process, respiratory process, and so on. Just because parents can get uncomfortable, they must not postpone the task of educating their kids about sex, good and bad touch, love, consent, and healthy relationship. Otherwise, they will hear it anyway from the cool kids in class. So, get straight to the talk instead of beating around the absurd birds and bees talk. Please contact us for more parenting tips or BOOK a FREE Class with our Expert!
Frequently Asked Questions
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What is a “birds and bees talk”?
A phrase used to explain the reproduction process to young children. -
What is the origin of the term “birds and bees”?
Samuel Coleridge’s 1825 poem, “Work Without Hope”. -
What is the right age to talk about sexuality to your child?
The earlier the better, as children, become inquisitive from a young age. -
How can parents increase sex awareness in children?
By having regular age-appropriate discussions about sex with their children. -
How do children get misguided about sex?
They pick up wrong information from friends and the Internet.
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