No doubt about it, kids start learning about sex pretty early and for most it starts even before the age of 3! Okay, calm down and take a deep breath. Your child will not be the bed hopper in the neighborhood by the time he or she is 5 if you start out right.
Up to 3 years old
By the time your child reaches 3 years old, they should know the correct names of their body parts and chances are they’ve already mentioned something funny about ‘em. Don’t be embarrassed to tell your child they have a penis or a vagina. They’re gonna hear those words one day soon anyway and it’s best to come from a parent.
Between the ages of 4 & 8
Children begin to notice more and more around them that they didn’t notice before. They’ll possibly have questions about women’s cleavage or childbirth, some may be as bold as to ask where baby’s come from exactly. Keep the conversation age appropriate and go take the clinical route!
Give Junior the talk about how the egg is fertilized and let it ride at that, if junior asks how Daddy fertilized the egg … seek the advice of a well-written book with lots of illustrations. Not Playboy!
9-13 years of age
It’s likely that a large portion of sex has been learned from health class at school, we all learn the human reproduction cycle and they’ve probably heard other children talking about sex. One thing to remember here is that some parents are not as responsible as you are and you can almost bet that Junior has already heard some messed up things about sex. Thankfully, you’re there to clean it up!
The best thing parent have going for them at this age is that kids are interested in learning about sex by this time. It’s time to teach Junior what’s associated with sex like STD’s (Sexually Transmitted Diseases), pregnancy, responsibility, love and the adult side. You can be that Junior will be all ears and sponge up half of what you say, so make it good.
13 & Beyond
Don’t short change your kids, give them the information they need before someone else misleads them with wrong information that could be detrimental to your child’s healthy development and be open for any questions your child has. Being approachable is the most valuable gift you can give your child.
One day your child will thank you for being such a beacon of support, not to mention those little “Juniors” that are more than likely to come later in life! Be good to your kids and they’ll be good to you.
