Saturday, December 13, 2014

How To Talk To Teens About Sex As Parents

By Lucia Weeks


Parents are the most important sex educators for their children. How to talk to teens about sex can be a difficult task and so some parents do not want to discuss sex issues. However, teenagers will learn things on sex somewhere else and parents will have little control over what and how they learn sex issues. So it is important that parents talk to teens on sexual matters, because it is the parent's responsibility.

Talking to teens about sex should be a gradual and continuous process. The talks should be short and done frequently. The problem with having one big talk with teenagers is that the chances of them forgetting most of the things is very high. The talk should be integrated into everyday activity.

You need to prepare before talking to teens about sex. Read the subject, and get more information, and get answers to your own questions before talking to your teen. There are age-appropriate books on sex for parents. You can also practice what you want to discuss with your spouse or partner. This will make it easier to get over any embarrassment when the time comes to talk with your teen.

The sex education for teens can begin with basic topics. Such as the male and female reproduction systems. The parent can then go ahead to explain issues on sexual intercourse and associated consequences such as pregnancy STDs and the emotional consequences. The parent can also take time to explain the effects drugs and alcohol have on sexual decisions. Parents should be able to seize the right opportunity to raise the topic on sex with teenagers. The discussion can be started anytime, like when watching television, in at grocery shopping or when washing dishes together. It is important to choose a moment that the teen is likely to be paying more attention.

It is important to be honest when talking to teenagers on sex. Admit to your teen that discussing sex issues isn't easy for you, but it is important that information concerning sex comes from you. This can help your teen open up when it comes to their feelings. Offer to find answers, or look them up together if you do not know how to answer your teen's questions.

Information provided to teens on sex has to be very accurate. Trying to scare teenagers with inaccurate information may fail because they would get the right information elsewhere. If this happens, they may not trust the rest of the information which is otherwise true. In situations where the facts contradict the beliefs of the parent, that has to be explained to the teen rather than just imposing the beliefs on them.

During conversations do not lecture but ask your teen questions and also welcome questions from your teen. Ask sex related topics or what he or she knows regaring sex, to make sure they have accurate information. Give your teen a chance to speak and ask questions. Let him or her know that they can talk to you concerning anything.

Parents can also vary the approaches to talking to teenagers about sex. This is because one approach would not be effective all the time, especially as the teen grows up. It is important to learn about age-appropriate approaches. Approaches need to vary depending on the sex of the teen. This is because what works for boys may not work for girls.




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