Wednesday, July 30, 2014

Sex Positive Parenting... Whats that look like?

"Mom, why do I have a belly button?"; "How can you tell if a girl really likes you?"; "Why cant I wear makeup... all the other girls are doing it?" These are only some of the questions, parents have presented to our sexualy professionals in order to gain some insight and help in responding to their kids. Most parents want to offer sex positive parenting. They want better for their kids than they got regarding sex ed. They just dont know where to start. The above linc provides some examples.

The number one piece of advice we give parents is ...Prepare! And, the second tip, know that the 'birds & the bees' talk is out, you should be engaging in multiple, teachable moments that are age-appropriate throughout a childs development. Parents often get a glazed look in their eyes at this point, quickly followed by a look of terror. The great news is that our sexualty professionals can help and there are numerous tools to make it that much easier. You first need to acknowledge that you could benefit from expert guidance and next you need to take action. We tell parents, you might be a really good golf player, but who wouldnt take Tiger Woods up on some tips. We seek professional support in so many areas of our life, why not in preparing a sex education plan for your kids?

Our sexuality experts routinely meet with parents to help them develop sex positive messages for their kids. This is sometimes a one-time consultation, but most often parents find our coaching useful at numerous stages of their education with their kids. Sometime parents need in-depth help to strategize a comprhensive plan, but other time they just have quick question. So depending on the age of your child, your values, and your comfort level with the topic we will customize an approach. "Its Perfectly Normal" is a book in a series of great books to aide parents, by Robie Harris  

Parents want and need coaching in this area because most of us got little, no, or really myth-filled sex ed. We want better for our kids. We want them to be informed, sexually literate and responsible sexual people who take pride in their bodies. We want them to be great partners who can say "no" and not be shackled with shame messages.


No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.