10 Ways to Start Conversation About Sex With your Child

Steps to build an effective parent-child communication:

1. Prepare Yourself: This includes learning as much as you can about the various sexual issues with which the teenagers are currently dealing, such as puberty, menstruation, reproduction, sexually transmitted diseases. contraception, unplanned pregnancy, abortion, homosexuality and premarital sex. It is important to know in-depth information in order to answer all sorts of question that arises in your child’s mind.

2. Use various props: Providing the child with the right guiding tools, such as appropriate books, videos, and articles that will help them gain the right kind of information which is appropriate for their age.

3. Practice: Experiment with the information you have learnt with your friends, and partner in order to avoid awkward and uncomfortable situations while discussing such issues with your children.

4. Make it a regular topic of conversation: It is always better to have small talks occasionally rather than digging into the topic at once. This helps clarify any doubts that the child might develop in his or her mind.

5. Always be available: Discuss any subject needed to be discussed and let the child share his or her opinion so the child knows you are approachable enough. Remain friendly and calm at all times.

6. Keep it casual: Do not treat sex as an taboo or special issue. Make it an issue which is important to discuss, but do not give it any special importance.

7. Eye contact: one of the most important body language cues is to maintain eye-contact to avoid embarrassment while discussing sensitive topics.

8. Use real life examples: Movies, print and electronic media can help explain as well as provide visual cues to the children.

9. Experience counts: Illustrating stories of known ones or your past life experiences can help make your information have a validation towards the information received by your children.

10. Values and morals: It is an important factor that we remind our children of the values and morals we hold from time to time so it prevents them from making any mistakes.