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

WHAT YOU CAN DO

Get involved.  No matter how awkward it may be, talking to  your responsibilty. Accept it. -Bible principle: Proverbs 22:6.

Have small discussions.  Instead of having one big talk, take advantage of casual moments to communicate, perhaps while the two of you are traveling in your car or doing a chore.  To help your child open up, ask viewpoint questions.  For example, rather than saying, "Are you attracted to ads like that?" you could say, "Why do you think advertisers  use those types of images to sell products?" After your child answers,you could ask, "How do you feel about that?" -Bible principle: Deuteronomy 6:6, 7.

Keep it age appropriate.   Preschoolers can be taught the proper names of sex organs, as well as how to protect themselves from sexual predators. As they grow, children can be told basic facts about reproduction. By puberty, they should have come to understand more fully the physical and moral aspects of sex.

Impart values.  Start teaching your child-at an early age-about honesty, integrity, and respect.  Then, when sex is discussed, you have a foundation to build on. Also, state your values clearly. For example, if you view sex before marriage as improper, says so. And explain why it is wrong and harmful.  "Teens who say they know that their parents disapprove of teens having intercourse are less likely to actually have sex," says the book Beyond the Talk. 

Set the example.  Live by the values you teach. For instance, do you laugh as obscene jokes? dress provocatively? flirt?  Such actions may undermine the moral values you are trying to teach your children. -Bible principle:Romans 2:21. 

Keep it positive.  Sex is a gift from god, and in the right circumstance-in marriage-it can be a source of great pleasure. (Proverbs 5:18, 19) Let your child know that in time he or she may be able to enjoy that gift, without the heartache and worries that come from premarital sex. - 1 Timothy 1:18, 19. 

A PARENT'S ROLE

Despite common perceptions, children-including teenagers-are more influenced by their parents than by peers.  "Children always look first to the immediate adults in their lies for guidance and for framing the world in a way they can relate to and understand.  They go elsewhere only when they know or sense that we are not willing to be present or available .  . . What decades of research demonstrate should be of no great surprise:  families who sustain this kind of connectedness around issues such as sexuality raise healthier children
who make better decisions, take greater responsibility for their actions, and perhaps most important postpone potentially risky behaviors." -Talk to Me First. 

Next time:THE BIBLE'S VIEWPOINT/Gratitude

From the jw.org publications