Parents
Responsible Design: It is a parent's responsibility to take part in their child's sex education. It is important that parents and guardians are the main sex educators for their children. Our kids must receive age-appropriate sexual health information in order to develop the necessary skills to make responsible choices throughout their lifetime. Parents have the most influence over their children and by providing them with knowledge in the safe environment of their homes, young individuals will learn about sex in an effective, positive manner. This page will serve as a resource to educate parents on how to begin discussing sex with their kids, when to begin educating kids about sex, and much more!
When to Talk to Your Kids About Sex
The "big talk" about sex should come early (we recommend the eighth birthday), but it is never too late! All parents need help with this subject! We tend to avoid it and delay it and feel embarrassed and hesitant about it. It's best to start early yet it's never too late, and there are suggestions for adapting it for older kids. This pivotal discussion should be preceded by preparatory dialogues and followed by discussions designed to continue all through adolescence, each adaptable to your situation, your personality, and the age of your child.
Ages 6 to 7: A basic understanding of intercourse. You can say, "Nature (or God) created male and female bodies to fit together like puzzle pieces. When the penis and the vagina fit together, sperm (like tadpoles) swim through the penis and up to the egg." Explain what you think about sex and relationships, for instance, "Sex is one of the ways people show love for each other."
Ages 5 to 6: A general idea of how babies are made, like "Mom and Dad made you", or if they demand more details, "A tiny cell inside Dad called sperm joined together with a tiny cell inside Mom called an egg."
Ages 2 to 3: The correct words for body parts, such as "penis" and "vagina."
Ages 3 to 4: Where a baby comes from in basic terms. They are too young to understand the details of reproduction, so simply saying "Mommy has a uterus inside her tummy, where you lived until you were big enough to be born" is sufficient.
Ages 4 to 5: How a baby is born. Stick with a literal response: "When you were ready to be born, the uterus pushed you out through Mommy's vagina."
Ages 8 to 9: That sex is important, which your child has probably picked up from the media and their peers. A child this age can handle a basic explanation on just about any topic, including. ("Remember when we talked about sex being part of a loving relationship? Rape is when someone forces another person to have sex, and that's wrong."
Age 12: By now, kids are formulating their own values, so check in every so often to provide a better context for the information your child's getting. However, you should avoid talking about it too much, because overkill will cause the child to tune out.
Ages 9 to 11: Which changes happen during puberty. Also be ready to discuss sex-related topics your child sees in the news.
Here is an Overview of what your child should understand at each age: