Birds & Bees: What’s Your Next Step?

The Birds & Bees: What’s Your Family’s Next Step? 

Over the past week, I have seen numerous posts suggesting ways to keep you and your kiddos busy during this unexpected time of social distancing and calendar clearing. 
One suggestion I haven’t seen is this: TACKLE THE NEXT LEVEL OF “THE TALKS” WITH YOUR KIDS WHILE YOU HAVE ALL THIS EXTRA FREE TIME!

There is an abundance of research that indicates early and open parent-child communication around the topic of sex is a protective factor to safe adolescent sexual decision making. An article by Weiss (2007) in the Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners listed several risks and protective factors contributing to sexual decision making among teens. Among the protective factors associated with ‘relationships with parents and families,’ Weiss states that, “Having open parent-child communication, parental disapproval of teen sex & premarital sex, and appropriate parental supervision and monitoring are protective.” 

So, where to start? Here is a family assessment checklist I provide in my workshops:
     ✓ Our family message about sex has been determined (and conveyed to kids)
     ✓ We use the anatomically correct vocabulary for body parts
     ✓ We have discussed “privates” and boundaries for who can see/touch
     ✓ We have explained puberty and all the changes that come along with it!
     ✓ We have explained how babies are born
     ✓ We have explained how babies are conceived
     ✓ Safe browsing has been enabled on ALL devices
     ✓ We have discussed pornography and what to do if our children see it

Once you have determined where you are in the progression of “the talks,” comment on this post, including your child(ren)’s ages, gender, and the next step your family needs to take, and I will reply with recommended resources to assist you!

Who knows parents, you might find this more comfortable than trying to figure out Common Core math or how to teach your kiddos the fundamentals of writing a research paper! 

You’ve got this!

Reference
Weiss, J. A. (2007). Let us talk about it: Safe adolescent sexual decision making. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 19(9), 450–458. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-7599.2007.00252.x
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