Valuable information. Fortunate me I found your site unintentionally, and I’m stunned why this accident didn’t came about in advance! I bookmarked it.
An interesting discussion is worth comment. I believe that you need to write more about this subject, it may not be a taboo subject but usually people do not talk about these subjects. To the next!
Hi Cath While there is reference to books as a resource , are their recommended websites that might also be a guide for parenting a 7 year old like it boys natural inquisitiveness ? I would imagine it requires appropriate anatomical imagery or photos to gide the explanation of terms and body parts
Most of the books do have age-appropriate images which can be helpful (especially if they don’t have an opposite-sex sibling or friend to peer at in the bathtub).
I am a huge fan of books for parents as it gives you the info in an age-appropriate way, with pictures and a storyline that keeps your child interested. I do have a page that has over 80 books on this topic –
On my resources page, I do have links for child-friendly sites that provide info for kids but there aren’t many of them –
And then I have a heap of content on my site that is written to get parents more comfy and chatting.
Just wanted to add a great book that my (now 8 year old) daughter and I have read through twice now (and I see her looking at it on her own sometimes) is “Sex is a Funny Word”
But to satisfy curiosity in kids, the best approach is to answer their questions, have some books on a range of topics that interest them, and talk naturally – which encourages them to come to you with their questions about sex (and not their friends or the internet).
The main thing is to try and take an everyday approach, which means you need to answer their questions as well as initiate conversations about things that you want to talk about (eg you may have heard a story about porn, so you decide that you need to talk to your kids about it).
It’s truly brilliant on relationships and gender/biology/ stuff without being overly explicit on the things it would be more appropriate for 10-11s to be considering
The best way is to slowly start immersing yourself in learning more about what it is all about, why you need to talk etc.
I have a lot of info over on the website, and if you sign up for the newsletter, the first month of emails is sort of a crash course on sex education.
My FB group is also a good place to start, as it has a bunch of really nice mums (a few dads too), and each week we look at a different topic or strategy to talk about –
It is tricky knowing where to start and sometimes it can feel a bit like starting a diet or an exercise regime – ie really hard at the start but it does get easier.
Dear Cath, Thanks for your great information. I really have daughters, 12 and 14 years old but have not yet started the sex education because i do not know how to start and what to say to them. Please, kindly recommend a nice book that i can buy for them to read. Best regard Onyii
Hi Onyii There are some fantastic books out there. Another good one that gives lots of info without overloading them is ‘The secret business, of love, sex and relationships’. You can find a heap more over here (there are affiliate links when you click on the books) I have just uploaded a heap of new books to the site today (I have what my husband would call an ‘unhealthy’ addiction to books that make our job as a parent easier!). Also, if this is of interest, I have started a facebook group for parents where you can ask your questions and get them answered. It is a really nice bunch of mums in there (a few dads too!). And there have been some good conversations so far! I hope that helps!