October 09, 2008

"When should I start teaching my children about sex?"

Dr. Karen Rayne has an excellent answer to this question that touches on the underlying implicit emotional issues that are often ignored in our often explicit and graphic culture. Here is an abbreviated version of her typical answer:

When you “should” start teaching about sex doesn’t really matter - you DO start teaching about sex when your children are infants.
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You teach them what a gentle touch feels like and what it is to be loved.
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We teach them the names of their body parts, and the names of everyone else’s body parts too.
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We teach our young children how to be a good friend, how to share, and how to reconcile arguments and disagreements graciously and with love.


This is a wonderful lesson for everyone to have -- I think there are many ADULTS who still haven't been had proper sex-education in this context.

Read more from Dr. Rayne @ Adolescent Sexuality

2 comments:

  1. Hear hear! Sex is such a hush-hush topic, and people really suffer the consequences of it.

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  2. Clinton, I am so pleased you like my approach to sexuality education. And yes, there are indeed many adults who don't understand this, and who actively work to reduce open communication between adults and teenagers about sex. However, I see a slow increase in our society's willingness and openness to communication about sex - and I hope to see that trend continue!

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