Talking with Your Preteen About Sex

Talking about sex to preteens should start as your child begins to reach this age. Somewhere around eight or nine, most children will begin to encounter sexual talk at school. Students will be hearing it from older brothers, sisters, and neighbors. This information will then filter into the school house where your little angel will encounter it whether it is desired or not. As a parent, it is important that this type of sexual information be imparted by you. This will help make sure that what is heard is accurate and reflects your values at the same time.

Start your preparation for this talk by informing yourself regarding the materials available to make the talk simple, informative, and stress free. Many good books and guides are on the bookshelves for sale on this topic. If you are uncomfortable with looking in a secular books store because of those books having a poor moral foundation, most religious book stores have entered this market. Feel free to shop these stores until you find the material that has the right feel for your needs.

Some parents like pictures included in the materials and some do not. It is not really too important which way you lean on this, but drawings that are correctly done can be helpful when explaining the physical changes of puberty to youngsters. Avoid material that shows explicit sexual scenes. This can work against any moral training that you want to include for your preteen. Explicit sexual teaching can come later in the teen years if that is what you want to do.

Sex for preteens is really best discussed in the beginning from the perspective of physical changes. This includes hair growing in new places, changes in physical appearance, and the development of gender specific organs. Following this training, a parent may choose to move into the area of discussing in general terms how babies come into the world. Instruction about the meaning of love and physical attraction may be introduced, but do not make too much of it at this point. It is really better understood as young people move into their teen years and begin to feel the stirrings of infatuation and sexual interest.