FollowExplaining the Birds and the Bees to Your Child
Talking to your kids about the birds and the bees is something that most parents dread. Parents that are usually confident about most things will their child will get tongue-tied when it comes to talking about sex with their children. However, parents should not avoid this subject as kids need to learn about the birds and the bees from their parents and not from their friends, television or movies.
Start the Conversation Early-The early that you start talking to your kids about sex, the easier it will be to continue the conversation in later years. From a young age, children will become curious about their bodies and why there is a difference between boys and girls. The conversation should be age-appropriate. For instance, if your 7-year old wants to know where babies come from, don’t tell them the story of the stork but instead tell them babies come from a mom’s belly.
Find Out What They Already Know-Before you even start a conversation about the birds and the bees with your child, find out what they already know. Many schools today provide an education curriculum based on sex. Once you find out what your child already knows, you can add on to their existing knowledge. Also, when you are listening to your child telling you what they know, it shows them that you respect and understand where they are coming from.
Use Body Part Nicknames or Real Name-Parents may think that using nicknames for body parts is the way to handle a conversation with their child about the birds and the bees. However, once a child reaches the age of 3 or 4, they need to be taught correct anatomical words. You need to ensure that you use words like vagina and penis without laughing or smirking.
Tell Them Gradually– You don’t want to wait and tell your child everything about the birds and bees all at once. This will do nothing but give your child some information overload. You don’t want to give them more information that they can process. Instead, you want to be sure that you give them information over several conversations over a long period of time.
Answering the Hard Questions
What happens when your child asks a question that you don’t have the answer to? In this case, you want to be honest and let them know that you don’t know the answer but you will do the research so you can give them the correct information.
