HELP FOR THE FAMILY/PARENTING - Teaching Your Child About Sex

THE CHALLENGE 

Just a few decades ago, parents had at least a good chance to be the first to talk to their daughter or son about sex. And they could explain things gradually, according to the child's age and need.

That has all changed.  "Children are being exposed to sexual messages at increasingly early ages, and the sexual content of children's media is on the rise," says the book The Lolita Effect. Does this new reality help children or hurt them?

WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW

Explicit content is everywhere.  In her book Talk to Me First, Deborah Roffman writes that conversations, advertisements, movies, books, song lyrics, TV shows, texts, games, billboards, and phone and computer screens [are] so laced with sexual imagery, language, and innuendo that many [teens, preteens, and even young children] must conclude, at least unconsciously, that sex must be . . . the absolute most important thing."

Marketing is partly to blame.   Advertisers and retailers peddle sexy clothing for children, training them from an early age to put undue emphasis on appearance.  "Marketers know about young children's vulnerabilities, and the exploit them," says the book So Sexy So Soon.   "All these sexual images and products are not intended to sell children sex" but "on  shopping." 

Information is not enough.  Just as there is a difference between knowing how a car works and being a responsible  driver, there is a difference between having knowledge about sex and using that knowledge to make wise decisions.

The bottom line:   Today, more than ever, you need need to help your children train their  "powers of discernment" so that they can "distinguish both right and wrong." - Hebrews  5:14. 

Next time: HELP FOR THE FAMILY/PARENTING - Teaching Your Children About Sex -WHAT YOU CAN DO

From the jw.org publications