Emphasizing pregnancy prevention is not enough, and neither is tossing out scary statistics about sexually transmitted diseases. Remind teens that sex is about relationships. When parents talk with their teens about sex, they tend to focus too narrowly on the dangers and downsides of being sexually active, experts say. They usually stress the downsides of sex, she says, and often focus on pregnancy prevention. But such limited exchanges are not enough to help kids cope with the sex lives they may have already begun or will soon be starting, says Dr. She cautions parents not to try to terrify their kids with the damaging effects an STD can cause.
Talking Sex In Therapy With Teens
10 Tips for Talking to Teens About Sex -- Without Embarrassing Them | HowStuffWorks
Sex education is offered in many schools, but don't count on classroom instruction alone. Sex education needs to happen at home, too. Here's help talking to your teen about sex. Sex education basics may be covered in health class, but your teen might not hear — or understand — everything he or she needs to know to make tough choices about sex. That's where you come in. Awkward as it may be, sex education is a parent's responsibility. By reinforcing and supplementing what your teen learns in school, you can set the stage for a lifetime of healthy sexuality.
How to Talk to Your Teen About Safe Sex and STDs
Print article. When it comes to this most charged and intimate of topics, many parents and teens engage in an uneasy conspiracy of silence. But experts agree that, no matter how awkward it feels or how reluctant your teen, you should talk about sex — early and often. Richard Eyre, co-author of How to Talk to Your Child About Sex , believes not raising the issue with your teen is ducking a fundamental parental responsibility.
Scott PhD. More Options. Robinson asked her freshman psychology students what today's parents need to know about teens and sex, they said parents don't have a realistic view of the world their teens live in. Today's culture is filled with sexual identity confusion, ubiquitous pornography, and the disassociation of sex from relationships.