With the popularization of social media and smartphones, children are exposed to sex issues earlier and earlier. For this reason, parents should get rid of their own prejudices and embarrassments about sex and love, and start conversations with their children calmly. But where to start and how to explain?
Pixar's latest animation "Turning Red" uses a red panda to symbolize the changes in sexual development. The touching story has been widely praised. Some commentators believe that the movie depicts various changes in parent-child relationships during adolescence. Highlight the importance of parents providing sex education to their children.
Red Panda
Integrating sex education into daily conversations
Children are very good at sensing adults' emotions. If parents feel uncomfortable talking about sex, children will definitely feel it, and may also think that they should not bring up this topic with their parents.
In fact, whether it is emotional issues, intimacy or "sexual consent" and other topics, it is an extension of parent-child communication. Common communication skills are also suitable for discussing sex.
If parents want to communicate effectively with their children, they should have empathy and remain open-minded; in addition to actively listening, parents can also share personal experiences and stories. Active listening means listening and understanding the other person's words with full concentration, reflecting and responding appropriately, and remembering the content of the conversation.
The important thing is that sex education "should not just be a one-time big talk, but a lot of small conversations. Daily chats can be easily integrated into related topics, such as mentioning movies that we have watched together, and letting children express their opinions."
One of the most important messages that parents should convey is that "no matter what questions children have, they can ask their parents directly." In other words, parents must be approachable and open-minded so that children can speak freely without worrying that they will be criticized or looked at differently by their parents for what they ask.
How can parents "talk about sex and love" more calmly?
If you are embarrassed to talk about sex with your children, it is often because parents themselves have misunderstandings about sex. To clarify misunderstandings, you must first understand that discussing sex does not mean encouraging children to have sex. The fact is that providing children with sex education helps them develop better sex habits.
According to research reports cited by World Health Organization and United Nations , young people who have received comprehensive sex education, and children who can discuss sex frankly with their parents, are often better than those who have not received sex education, or whose parents have never discussed sex. of their peers start having sex later, have fewer sexual partners, and use contraception (including condom use).
Examine the reasons why you think sex is hard to talk about and ask yourself whether these reasons are more important than your child's physical and mental health.
