One of the shortcomings of the digital age is the proliferation of all forms of information readily available to all internet surfers today. As such, living in the digital age means you must face reality. Kids are exposed to far more sexually explicit images than you can imagine. Let’s just cut it short there, you know better.
First, when should you talk about the birds and bees talk?
I have attended events where parents shared their concerns about confusions surrounding when to do the big talk. While you may want to wait until your child starts asking questions around this, you might be wrong if you choose to ignore it because such questions about sex aren’t forth coming from him or her. When your child is about age 5, you can start introducing books and or games that deal with the subject matter in an age appropriate level. Parents often have trouble in this area but 9ijakids have developed a fun learning game for kids on this subject that can help you take off the conversation.
Here are five things you need to know about doing the sex talk with your child .
Start earlier. Don’t even say your kids are too young for this. If your child knows his or her way around the internet, then chances are that before 12/13, they know a lot more than you can imagine. Delaying talking about it later may be too late. I suggest 9-11 years old so you can establish appropriate information and standard around sexuality.
It should happen in stages and be continuous; You don’t have to reveal everything all at once, it should be in stages and age appropriate. For instance, start with body parts, bad touch, what is private part and why it’s called so. Also, Sex education is not a one-off discussion. As they get older, talk about puberty, changes humans undergo, sexuality and responsibility.
Utilise every opportunity you have: Always find a good conversation starter as against formal sitting which could be a tad uncomfortable for you and even your child. A good conversation starter could be a scene on the TV, something on the internet that you both saw, couples showing affection publicly etc.
Spy on their internet history: Take time to study their activities online, see what they are up to by checking through their browser history. If you notice your child clears browser history, you might need to take a closer look at him/her.
Get involved by studying up: There are a lot of slangs out there on the internet and chances are that they are also popular among kids. Get yourself informed and watch out for it.
Don’t miss the opportunity to beat peer pressure and prepare your child for the future. Your kids are exposed to a lot of information on the web, from other kids and even neighbourhood. The important thing is to not be afraid to start the conversation and to keep it going. This is part of healthy living. Download 9ijakids application on google play store for your kids to play fun learning games on basic sex education and other educational games. click here to get it. Share this article with your network by clicking the button below.
