We have every excuse in the book why we don’t talk to our children about sex. A favorite one is: “they are not ready.” I think we really like to believe that our children are innocent and can’t handle information on sex. That is just not true and study after study suggests that the more we talk to our kids about sex the more correct information they have, the more responsible they are and the later they become sexually active.
But in case you still have any doubts, here’s a fun statistic quoted in my favorite parenting/sex book, “Everything you Never Wanted Your Kids To Know about Sex but Were Afraid They’d Ask.” (See our blog posting that delves into this book a little more.)
The average age in America when a child can articulate correctly how children are conceived and born is 11. The average age in Britain is 9. And the average age in the Netherlands is 7!! So unless you think that the kids in the Netherlands are somehow inherently smarter, you’ll have to admit it’s cultural!
Start talking. Trust me, your kids can handle it.