What age?
Talking to your child can be hard – particularly if your own sex education wasn’t good. No one expects you to be an expert and there is lots of help and advice available.
Below are some commonly asked questions and the pages on the left go into more detail depending on what age your child is.
Commonly asked questions
They won’t want to talk to me will they?
Lots of parents think that their children don’t want to talk to them but research shows that they actually do! They are bombarded with messages about sex everyday through the media, advertising and the internet and the chances are that they’re feeling confused and scared. By talking to them you will be able to give them the facts to reassure any of their worries.
The earlier you start the conversation, the easier it will be.
How do I start the conversation?
It can be difficult to start the conversation, but even from a young age children will give you the opportunity by asking questions – often at inconvenient times! If isn’t a good time or you’re not sure of the answer, don’t worry, it is perfectly ok to come back to it later. Tell your child that ‘it’s a good question’ and that you’ll find out for them. (Just make sure you do!)
What about religion?
If you have decided to bring your child up within a particular faith, it is important to teach them about puberty, relationships and sex. For both boys and girls, puberty can be a scary experience and it is a good idea to talk to them about what might happen and why, before changes start happening.
It is also really important that you explore with them your own feelings, experiences and faith values about sex, relationships and sexuality and give them the opportunity to explore with you their own ideas and beliefs.
What do I teach boys and what do I teach girls?
When talking to your children, try not to change what you might say for boys or girls. They need to know about the changes that both will go through during puberty and also what functions male and female bodies have. This will help them understand their friends and partners now and in the future and give them the fullest picture possible.
It is also important to teach children that it is wrong to use sexual language to intimidate each other. This is common behaviour, even amongst very young children and is often learned from their friends.
What age should I start talking?
We’ve split our information into age groups so click on these on the left for more advice.
But remember that children can ask any question at any age often depending on their own life experiences. We’ve included a few commonly asked questions in each age section, with pointers on how you might answer.
