How to Talk to Your Pre-teen About Sex

Talking to your preteen children about sex may be uncomfortable for you. You should take into consideration if you want your children learning all they know about sex from sex education programs at school or what is available for their viewing in the media, online and on television shows. Would you rather have them know the things you have learned from time and experience? There is no other way for them to know than for you to have this conversation with them.

Why do I Need to Talk to my Pre-teen about Sex?

Parents worry about whether or not their child is sexually active. Statistics reported by The Guttmacher Institute indicate 75 percent of all teenagers have sexual intercourse before they turn twenty. An alarming number of teenagers are also reporting having sexual relations before the age of fifteen. The pressure on both teen and preteen boys and girls to have sex is enormous. If you do not take the opportunity to talk to your children while they are still young, it may be too late. They need to know of the risks and the dangers involved. Adolescence is a time of exploding emotions and hormones, a parent's voice of reasoning, no matter how unpopular, is very much needed as a force of stability. There are so many issues at risk including sexual diseases, pregnancy, emotional and social issues. Although your pre-teen or teenager may be resentful at first of you bringing up the discussion, in years to come, they will probably thank you for taking the time to care and provide much needed words of warning and instruction.

How do I Discuss Sex with my Pre-teen?

The best approach is honesty. Usually, a pre-teen has questions regarding their own sexuality. If you take the time to listen to their conversations and notice certain clues, you may well find your opportunity to have this important conversation with your preteen. Having an open door of communication is very important. Your child should feel comfortable approaching and discussing with you these questions of a sexual nature without fear of retribution from you. By all means, if you see evidence that your preteen has become sexually active, bring the subject up. Tell them what you have discovered and that there is some important information you need to share with them. This is not an easy conversation for a parent, but it is a very necessary one.

Sources:

http://www.familyfirstaid.org/teen-sex-statistics.html