How to Talk to Your Kids About Sex & How Babies Are Made

How to Talk to Your Kids About Sex & How Babies Are Made

A lot of parents wonder how to have the sex talk — let this L&D nurse help you be comfortable.

Talking to your kids about sex will pay off HUGE dividends in their quality of life -- starting early on is key.

The sex talk.

{grumble, grumble}

It’s awkward. No one WANTS to have it.

But WHY?

Why is it awkward to talk to kids about sex

I wondered about this a lot.

I talk to my kids about a LOT of different things, but sex is one of those things that even makes me uncomfortable — even though I talk to moms about it frequently at the hospital.

I’ve come up with a few reasons:

1. It was awkward with our own parents, and those memories still haunt us
2. We don’t want to come across as pervy, or hurt our kid’s vewpoint of sex in any way.
3. It’s not socially OK to really talk about sex in public — at least the nitty gritty. Somehow it’s much more ok to make jokes about it. BUT, we haven’t had a lot of practice.
4. We aren’t sure when to do it.

How to Have the Sex Talk

I believe that “the sex talk” starts early.

Very early on. We had a book from Usborne that talked about how babies are made. I was grateful for it as it gave a totally biological stance of it.

The egg and the sperm meet and a baby is made. Not much more than that — but it started them out early about how biology happens. That way, expanding beyond that made it more natural.

Talking to young kids about sex

I believe that that having a book like that is helpful. Books are great since we are encouraging our kids to learn all sorts of things from books (I’m a huge fan of keeping lots of non-fiction books at home).

But, at that age, I’d mostly just answer questions. And JUST the questions.

How to Explain Where Babies Come From

Telling kids how babies are made is one of the first steps to getting comfortable talking to them about sex.

Here are some common questions young kids have about babies:

Where do babies come from?

I’d just point them to that book. Say that the egg and the sperm meet, and the mommy grows the baby in her tummy

How does the baby come out?

The mom pushes very hard and it comes out between her legs (I got that one from a sibling class we took my oldest to before we had our 2nd).

Where does the sperm come from?

The dad (again, you’re just answering the direct question — no need to go further).

Where is the egg?

It’s in the mommy’s belly — you can even use terms like ovary and uterus. I always recommend you use correct terms when you’re being specific.

**The beauty is that it is REALLY unlikely the child is going to go too deeply into the sex process. Often, if they are — I’d ask them where they are hearing it from if it’s just a genuine question — answer as briefly as possible, while still answering the question**

I also am VERY clear that the areas of your body that are covered by a swimsuit are off limits for other people. They shouldn’t touch you there. And, if someone is (that isn’t your doctor when mom is in the room with you), you need to talk to a trusted adult about it.

Note: Be VERY sure to use the actual names of areas of their body when you reference them in this way.

When to Talk to Your Kids About Sex

At some point, you need to have the actual talk.

At our house, we have it at age eight.

It is very important to me that their original sex talk comes from either myself or my husband, and NOT on the playground.

I want them to know that we are open and honest about it — and that we are a fount of information on the subject! By being how they learned about it — we are the experts in the area.

I want them to know that it’s a GREAT thing, but I ALSO want them to know that it’s not something we talk about with our friends on the playground. I’m honest, telling them that is something that they should learn from their parents as much as possible. That it is a private thing, that might make some people uncomfortable.

As a nurse, I take a very biological stance.

Here is basically how it goes:

When people love each other a lot they will have something called sex.  That is when the man puts his penis in the woman's vagina (we have already had the 3 hole talk, so my daughter is aware her vagina is the hole in the middle).  He squirts in some sperm to her vagina, which is like a tunnel to her uterus.  At a particular time of the month, the woman has an egg waiting for the sperm.  If the sperm work right and the egg is waiting, they will start a baby.

I then, because I truly believe it, talk about how sex really isn’t something you want to have until you are married. Because sex leads to having babies, you really only want to have a baby with someone you love enough to marry.

That’s it. That’s my age 8 sex talk.

I will admit, it is uncomfortable — but once it’s out — it’s out.

I try to work on it and advance it a bit more as the kids get older.

But, at age 8, that suffices.

By age 12 I want to be sure they understand that people have many different feelings, and start to focus more on other sex acts that people might think are OK — including oral and anal sex, but also be honest with the disease and other problems that can cause, especially health-wise (this is where being a nurse comes in handy).

I do also allow my kids to go to every “maturation” talk by the school. I hope that if I talk abstinence at home, and they learn about condoms in school we at least won’t end up with herpes or a pregnancy (I also review the school’s talk so that we can have a brief talk together before they learn at school).

I try to have a talk about it each year around their birthday (simply, because it’s a good time to remember). Answer any questions that they have as well as solidify how it happens and the consequences if they were to engage in it too early.

As they get older, I also encourage them to ask questions of their doctor (we often make well check-ups around their birthday as well).

**YES, I do believe in abstinence before marriage. I believe in it very strongly as I have seen many high school students absolutely ruined or their dreams derailed when relationships that went too far didn’t work out. I believe it to be a strong cause of increased teen suicide as you just aren’t ready to handle those strong emotions at that age.**

BTW, any comments about how my head is in the sand will just be referred to my pregnancy section. You have no idea how far out of the sand my head is.

Talking to your kids before college about sex

Now, I am just barely hitting this one (as I write this my oldest will be 18 in a few months) — but I know that talk needs to come.

I have a son, but I think this is good advice for all kids heading to college.

1. If you are going to have sex, you need to be SURE 200% that the other person is on board. You even need to hear the words “yes I want to.” I don’t want my sheltered kid getting to college and not knowing that this could be a HUGE issue that could ruin them and possibly even put them in jail and a mar on their actual “permanent record”.
2. If you’re going to have sex you need to have protection. She should likely be on the pill AND you should wear a condom. The condom will prevent diseases and the pill prevents a pregnancy (and yourself if she isn’t good at taking the pill). I will tell him that if he is going to use a condom, he’d better know how to put it on and that I’m sure there are videos on youtube.
3. If you are going to have sex, do NOT do it when you, or the other person are drunk. Again — back to #1 — it’s just a big fat mess on college campuses anymore.

We need to be REALLY clear on this with our kids.

I do believe we have created a party atmosphere on college campuses that is having long-term consequences for many kids. I don’t want my son or daughter to have that type of consequence.

How to talk to your son about sex

I think it’s important for them to know a few things:

1. Wet dreams are normal
2. Masturbation can feel great, but can take over your life — so I’d try to stay away from it
3. It is natural to be curious about sex, but pornography will change you as a person and your natural desires. I’d try to stay away from it.
4. Sex is meant to be with another person. Not with a screen or yourself.
5. Sex is natural and important, and you really need to LOVE someone to have it.

How to talk to your daughter about sex

1. You might feel arousal at times, and that’s OK.
2. Boys want sex, much more than you think they do.
3. It is natural to be curious about sex, pornography or masturbation. However, sex is with another person that you love. Remember that.

I love this video our church put out:

owlet peace of mind

One of my most favorite quotes about sex comes from a nurse I work with:

You play big kid games, you get big kid prizes.

They need to know there are CONSEQUENCES to their actions. Be very clear that those consequences include:

• STDs
• Large emotions that can be difficult to process
• Pregnancy/babies

The most important part of talking to your kids about sex

They should feel ok to come to talk to you about anything. Be clear that you aren’t going to judge them or laugh at them.

You are fair game to talk about whatever they need to know.

You are their main resource — ask them to talk to you before they look it up on the internet.

Talking to kids about sex is SO important. You are doing a huge service to get that started on the right foot for them. With a little preparation, as well as starting young it won’t be as hard as you imagine.

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**If you’re planning to make a comment about my nieve attitudes towards abstinence. Take a minute to remember I am a labor and delivery nurse. I have seen real-life consequences of having sex with someone you aren’t ready to have a baby with. You play big kid games, you get big kid prizes. And that prize will change your life.**

Original article and pictures take www.pullingcurls.com site