LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) – It’s Parenting Connection Tuesday and 6 News is here for you with tips, strategies, and helpful reminders from child development experts on how we can be better parents and guardians.
Today’s topic: How to talk to kids about sex.
If you’ve been following the past three weeks – you know we’ve been looking deeply into new survey results from leading parent education platform, Parents.com, about sex education. We found out many more parents are bringing up this topic with their kids compared to when they grew up, how social media plays a role, and what forms of sex education parents would like to see schools teach. We conclude with how to get this important conversation going with your child, and how to keep it moving forward if they’ve already started, which according to Parents.com Editor-in-Chief Grace Bastidas, 67% of parents say they did before their child became a teenager.
“While parents want schools to teach more than just the basics, they’re not waiting for schools to have those conversations with their kids. They are taking it into their own hands, being more open, and sharing the facts.”
Here are four great tips to use when providing sex education to your kids:
*Use clear, age-appropriate language.
*Respond to their questions in a positive way. Experts say this will help children feel there is nothing shameful or wrong about sex — plus foster an environment so they will continue to come to you with questions.
*Use a variety of sources. This can be from health education websites, parenting websites like Parents.com… their child’s doctor, and books.
*Give facts and be honest.
Finally, for parents who worry that these conversations may lead to a child being sexually active at a much younger age — research has shown the opposite is true. Doctors say, that when young people receive proper education on the matter, they’re more likely to delay having sex, use contraception, and be thoughtful about the number of people they engage with.
