Have you had “the talk” with your children? I listened to an eye-opening podcast last week. It was a Christian parenting podcast. The subject was talking about sex with your children. They went on to discuss that if you have not had regular discussions (age appropriate) with your children about sex by the time they are in 5th grade, you are behind the eight-ball. What?! It never occurred to me that we should start this dialogue so young. But the point that struck me the hardest? Do you want your children to learn about sex from their friends on the school bus or from you? I called my husband right away and told him we need to start having these discussions with the boys immediately.
Where do I begin? My boys are 8 and 10 years old. I do not want to take their innocence away. Unfortunately with the way our society is today innocence is being lost much quicker than when I was a child. I’ve got to get over my fear and figure out how to educate my sons on this very important topic. I want to put a plan together because I want to make sure I approach this the right way. I feel like there is a very fine line. What if I say too much and draw more attention than there needs to be? I also don’t want to say too little and do them a disservice.
This was a part of parenting that I have been dreading. I seriously thought I had a lot more time. What makes it worse is that I am a total prude. So having these conversations, in general, are not my thing. We do not use the word penis freely in our home. And I know there will be people who strongly disagree with me on this. My boys know what it means. I have chosen to teach them not to use that word unless talking to their dad, myself, or their doctor. Why? My explanation is that gentlemen do not use that word in public. There is an appropriate place and time for everything. Again, this is my opinion.
I’m scrambling to figure out how to start these conversations. It needs to be an ongoing dialogue and not just a one and done. I want my boys to feel like our home is a safe zone and that we can openly talk about anything. They need to know that they can come to us with questions. I also want to be clear to them that there is no shame in sex. I have researched a few resources. I am going to read up on the subject, draw up a plan with my husband, and then rip the band-aid off. Parenting is hard! But it’s our job to educate our children appropriately. Have you started this dialogue in your house? Any insight for me?
