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For Parents of Teens and Preteens

TalkStarter for Teens: So, What Are You Reading These Days?

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Is the stuff your kids read having an impact on their understanding of sex and relationships? Probably. Whether that’s a good thing or not so good may depend on the material—and whether you’ve given them context that helps them put their reading in perspective. Some teens are big readers; others may rarely pick up a […]

Does Your Teen Know This Crucial Fact about Sex?

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We live in a world where we—and our kids—are bombarded by sex. TV, movies, and other media are chock-full of casual sex, jokes about sex, pitying comments about the few poor unlucky souls who aren’t getting laid…. It seems like every (non-pitiful) young person you see on screen is having sex—a lot of sex—often casually–and […]

Why Do Little Boys Stop Dancing?

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If you happen to be at a family-friendly music event (say, a concert in the park), notice who’s dancing. Here’s what I’ve seen: Toddlers and preschoolers of any gender get right up there and move their bodies. They sway and jump and wriggle to the music with great delight and big grins, clearly having a […]

TalkStarter: Gender and Restrooms

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There’s been a lot in the news lately about who can use which restrooms. A recent federal mandate requires schools to permit students to use the restroom that matches their gender identity, even if that’s not the sex on their birth certificate. Whatever your views on the subject, it’s a great opener for talking with […]

Talking about Sex: What a Difference a Word Makes

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Often, it’s not so much what we say as the way we say it. Case in point: the words we use to talk about sex, especially when talking with our children (or whenever they can hear us). Think about these alternatives: Have sex Screw Fornicate Do one’s “wifely duty” Get laid F**k Be intimate Make […]

The Key to Getting Teens to Open Up

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There’s so much going on in your teen’s head and heart—but that doesn’t mean you’re hearing about it. When our darling little kids become adolescents, parents can feel that there’s a wall between us and them. We care so much about what’s going on inside them, but they may be reluctant to share. This is […]

Planting Seeds for Kids’ Sexual Health

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When your kids grow up, do you want them to have healthy sex lives? When they’re adults, do you hope they have pleasurable, responsible, fun sexual experiences? Of course you do.  We don’t want our kids to have sex too early, we don’t want them to get hurt, and we don’t want them to risk […]

How to Talk to Kids about Sex? Ask the Unitarians

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It always seems a little odd to me that sex and religion are seldom talked about in the same breath. When most religious groups speak out on a sexual topic, it’s usually a negative, something people “shouldn’t” do. But sex is such an integral part of our humanity—and can be such a profound, even spiritual […]