Reproductive Health

I recently presented a sexual health workshop to a group of parents. When I provide education to parents on the sexual health of their children, our workshops always end with a time for questions and answers. ‘How do I talk to my child about preventing pregnancy?’ ‘What should I say to my child about his date on Friday night?’ ‘How can I bring this up with my young children?’ Parents are full of questions and anxieties when it comes to the birds and the bees. During these times, my goal is to show parents how easy it can be to talk to their children about topics like sex, sexuality, safe sex, and sexual identity.

I tell the parents at my workshops that there are many opportunities during day-to-day activities for parents to talk about sexuality with their children. Parents can engage in conversations about these topics while watching a TV show that depicts a young person going through puberty or going out on a date.  Parents can also use advertisements to prompt conversations about body acceptance, or start a discussion when their child sees a pregnant woman. These teachable moments occur every day, making conversations easier and more natural.

Some parents plan “the sex talk” for months, expecting to say everything important all at once, but when the time comes, this proves difficult, and rarely goes as planned. Instead, it should be a continual process. Discussing sex a little bit at a time helps to create realistic goals and also prevents children from feeling overwhelmed. It’s best to start talking with children about sexuality early. From a very young age, children are curious about their bodies, about being a boy or a girl, and about different kinds of relationships. Even young children can be taught the correct names for their body parts. I teach parents to choose information that is age-appropriate so that children grow up understanding that sex is a natural part of human and emotional development. When they have this foundation, talking with them about the more complicated aspects of sexual intimacy can be easier, when they are older.

Children and teenagers, like their parents in my workshop, have lots of questions about sex and sexuality. They might ask out of curiosity, or they may need help with decision-making. Many children and teenagers want to know if they are “normal.” Kids may also disguise their questions with other questions, so, no matter how surprising their questions may be, I encourage parents to always give their children honest, factual answers. Above all else, I ask parents in my workshops to give their children the information, rather than simply conveying their own attitudes and values concerning sex and sexuality. At the age of 12, only 2% of adolescents have had sex, but by the time they are 18, 70% of teens have engaged in some kind of sexual act. It’s important to talk with teens about preventing pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, and it helps to think about this ahead of time. In closing there is no right moment or perfect opportunity. Talk to you children today. 

For more information about factual and accurate information about sexuality related issues please refer to the following list:

SIECUS
SIECUS (the Sexuality Information and Education Council) provides a valuable Sex Education Library, which lists dozens of lesson plans from negative body image, to sexual orientation, reproductive and sexual anatomy. This is quite an amazing site and filled with plans from kindergarten to adult. It is a resource that I will continue to use now that I am aware of its existence!

Advocates for Youth
Advocates for Youth is a site devoted to inform young people (elementary to high school students) to make informed, positive decisions. The link above will take you to the sexual health lessons but there are many other sections and lessons having to do with sexual attitudes and emotional relationships.  A great resource to sexuality educators reaching out to our youth.

The Body
The Body is a great HIV/AIDS resource website. There is a site for health professionals as well as a site for patients. It includes psychoeducational resources and news on HIV/AIDS policy, prevention, treatment, epidemiology, clinical management, and much more. The professional site will allow the educator to obtain updated information and the patient site can be utilized as a resource to give to clients!

This blog post was written by NFHC member Ariel Wright.

Ariel serves at The Bridge of Northeast Florida as an Health Educator and Projects Coordinator.