We never really spoke much about sex when I was growing up. I can’t really remember how I learnt about it but there was no book or talk from my parents. We did live in a different time though, where parents “got away” with not really talking much about it.
We aren’t so lucky now. We have to educate our children. We have to talk to about and make sure they know what is acceptable and what is not. It did take me a while to talk to the older two kids about it but with Kiara being a girl, we had to have that period talk sooner rather than later, so I just doubled it up with the sex talk. David spoke to Cameron about it. We tried to make it age appropriate and not bog them down with too much information that they didn’t really understand.
Even though we have spoken to them about it, I am aware that these discussions have to keep happening. We have to be on top of where they are and make sure they are both equipped to deal with situations they find themselves in. There is no point in putting our heads in the sand about this, it is something we have to deal with openly and honestly.
It is not easy to know when or how to approach it. Your 3 year old may ask where babies come from but are they emotionally or intellectually mature enough to have the full on this is what sex is discussion with? Probably not but you do still need to try and answer the question, trust me it won’t go away!
Durex have a CONNECT-ED programme that is aimed at high school pupils and run in association with the Gauteng Education Department. The aim is to provide young people the “knowledge required to enable behaviour change specific to healthy sexual activity.” There is a CONNECT-ED buddy who is an online counsellor and is available to answer questions the pupils have and offers guidance and support in a confidential environment.
We want to know what some of your concerns are when it comes to your child’s sexual education. What are your top questions when it comes to
- Talking to your children about sex;
- Questions you are scared to ask your children when it comes to sex;
- The details of their sexual activities; and
- Communicating your concerns around sex, etc.
You can leave your questions or concerns in the comments or if you prefer you can email me laurakim@harassedmom.co.za.
One of the Durex CONNECT-ED buddys will provide answers to the questions and they may be used in print campaigns that are being run. Our aim with this is ti empower parents with the correct information and support which in turn will enable you to empower your children!
Durex have given me a Birds and Bees ToolKit worth R1000 to giveaway as well as a little sexy something for mom and dad to enjoy. The winner will be chosen randomly on the 31 August.
5 Responses
Ha!! We decided to chat to Megan about sex after watching a movie in which a fairly young child tells her dad that they’d learned about sex at school that day. So we asked Megan what she knows about it, just to see where she’s at. She replied that she knows “everything” about it. And so, intrigued, we asked her where she’d learned “everything” about sex. To which she responded that she’d seen it. And we got kind of stern about what she’s been watching on TV, because we have strict rules about watching age restricted stuff. To which Megan responded that she hadn’t watched anything that’s out of bounds. And we, of course, wanted to know then where she’d “seen it” in order to learn “everything” about it. Turns out she’d seen *us* at it one afternoon, when we had stupidly forgotten to check that the bedroom door was locked… Needless to say, we have NEVER forgotten to lock the door again.
MeeA recently posted…Right Now
Just thinking about the conversations we’ll be having makes me uncomfortable. But we’ve already started with things for K to feel in charge of his body – we ask if we can give him a hug or a kiss, don’t make him kiss greet anyone. J insists that we use the correct names for bits, so I’m hoping that it’ll make it easier in the future.
Cassey recently posted…Let’s chat about: What success means to you?
Funny you should touch on this topic-my daughter (in grade3) came home yesterday with a permission slip from school regarding becoming “aware” of their changing bodies as well as touching on some sex education basics-personally I don’t think its the schools responsibility and without sounding naive would ld like to believe that my daughter would come to me with any and all questions she may need answers to.
My boys were in the bath when I walked in one day and Kobus Jr asked me whether I knew where babies come from. Of course I didn’t know…so at the age of 8 he informed me in a very crude way. It would appear that if you have older cousins this sort of thing happens…who knew?
Lynette Jacobs recently posted…Adorable – Blue Fern Studio’s
How do I explain to my 14 year old daughter what oral sex is? I cannot even think of how to explain it and why it is done. Also, is it still ok for me to allow my 20 month old daughter to bath with her daddy. She hasn’t asked any questions yet, but she is bound to ask what’s between his legs pretty soon.