Breaking the Ice: Tips for Talking to Your Teen About Sex and Relationships
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By PAGE Editor
If you ask some parents (especially the ones who didn’t have the most pleasant experience as far as this is concerned) they’ll tell you that it’s always too soon to bring up “the bird and bees” topic.
Although there’s never a so-called perfect moment to do this, as a parent, you are probably aware of the fact that at some point, you’ll need to talk about this, if you want to ensure your kid understands everything the right way.
Besides that, don't you want them to feel comfortable around you when discussing this? If the answer is yes, then you need to focus on the steps below, which will help you smooth this whole conversation and won’t make you feel as if the two of you are walking on eggshells.
There Are Lots Of Online Resources You Can Lean On!
As a parent of a teenager, you probably live with a person who spends a lot of time online. That has become the new normal not only among younger people but older ones too! If that's the case with yours as well, then it would be wise for both of you to make use of the time you spend in the digital world wisely.
What does it mean? It means that it's time to roll up your sleeves, take some time to do your homework, and find websites that are going to show you how to talk to your teen about sex without feeling awkward. Fortunately, the online world is full of amazing websites that not only contain this important piece of information but also have experts who can be of huge assistance in these situations.
It’s safe to say that it has never been easier to bring this topic up (or any other, for that matter). These sites are going to help you approach your kiddo (and this topic, in general) in a very compassionate, yet mature and serious way.
Do Not Postpone Talking About It
As stated in the beginning, for most parents, this isn’t a topic that they would gladly bring up, however, the reality is, that if you want to show how supportive you generally are and that your child should feel comfortable talking about whatever, then you shouldn’t postpone this subject for too long.
In fact, the sooner you start it, the better. Why does it matter so much? Well, what you need to remember is that most young people deal with self-esteem and self-respect issues, that’s especially the case when they are approaching puberty.
They are yearning to talk to someone they love (and above all, a person who makes them feel comfortable and safe) about these sorts of things because they simply want to be understood and heard.
Besides, since these conversations are generally perceived as "touchy", it would be much better to bring them up before the first date, crush, prom, etc. By doing so, both of you are going to feel a lot more relaxed and comfortable once any of these above-mentioned things happen.
Books Are Also Great Tools!
Even though you may think that your teen is not going to be in the mood to read any book, particularly one that’s sex-related, it doesn’t hurt to give it a try. There are so many awesome books nowadays, that cover this subject perfectly and convey a really good message which is extremely important in this tender period.
What you can do, for starters, is to provide them with some suggestions (that are about to be mentioned) and then, at some point, see if there’s anything confusing about these books (and this topic, in general) and if the answer is yes, then be sure to answer all their questions.
So what are the best books for these purposes? As concluded previously, the options are endless, however, there are a couple of them that stand out from the others a bit and they include the following:
Doing It! Let’s Talk About Sex by Hannah Witton – This is a very honest, and genuine book that's not intended for teenagers only, but young adults too. It showcases sex as something that's completely normal, that it shouldn't "shock" any parent, and that if parents pretend like it doesn't exist, it's very counterproductive and will only make things worse.
Not Under My Roof: Parents, Teens, and the Culture of Sex by Amy Schalet – This book makes a comparison between how American and Dutch families react to teenage sexual awakening, and how supportive all parents should be.
No parent is one hundred percent prepared for these kinds of situations, however, as you can see, there are so many smart things that you can do that can make this whole process a lot less stressful.
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