There’s so much to nurture when we raise kids. We help them to grow in so many areas: language, emotional self-control, social interactions, practical skills, academics, compassion…. While you’re working on all that, remember to also factor in their sexual health. Even though it will be years before they’re sexually active, what you do now […]
Protecting Your Kid from Porn
The amount and variety of pornography available on the internet is truly amazing. And if you’re a parent, it’s truly terrifying. How can you keep your children from seeing sexual material—-especially anything-but-mainstream behavior—that’s far beyond their ability to comprehend? Finding pornography at an early age is usually very unsettling for kids. Unlike teens, who have […]
TalkStarter for Kids: “How I Learned about Puberty”
Let’s face it: puberty and sex are awkward topics. And when you do gear yourself up to talk to your child about it, you probably get cringing and eye rolls. But you don’t want your kids to enter puberty and have no idea why their bodies are changing. Even if their school does a good […]
Are Date Nights Really That Important?
Therapists recommend couples scheduling date nights so often that it’s almost a joke, up there with “how are you feeling about that?” You might wonder if it’s just some default thing therapists say to fill up time. Nope. We suggest date nights so often because they work. One-on-one time doing something fun with your significant […]
A First-Grade Lesson that Helps with the Birds and the Bees
Back when my kids were in first grade, the teacher did a unit on distinguishing facts from opinions. Designed to help them learn critical thinking, it used examples like “Bananas are yellow” and “Bananas are better than apples,” then moved to more subtle kinds of communication. It was a great concept to introduce at an […]
What’s Scarier than Ghouls & Goblins? Birds & Bees
This is the time of year when we embrace what scares us: ghosts, zombies, skeletons. A lot of Halloween stuff is about death, if you think about it…a plenty uncomfortable topic for most of us. And yet we go there this time of year (albeit in a way that puts the subject at a comfortably […]
TalkStarter: Parents Are So Embarrassing
When you’re a teenager, pretty much everything your parents do is embarrassing. But anything they say or do related to sex? Especially if anyone else is around? OMG–mortifying. Even if it’s been a long time since you were a teen, I bet you can remember things your parents said about sex that embarrassed you. This […]
What Makes It So Hard to Talk about Sex?
When I tell people that I write about sexuality, some are enthusiastic or curious. More often, people cringe, or get pale, or flush. Sex is such an uncomfortable topic that we have a physical reaction to the mere mention of it. Folks have sex and (hopefully) enjoy it…but talking about it is a whole ‘nuther […]
Why Do Little Boys Stop Dancing?
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 […]
Talking about Sex: What a Difference a Word Makes
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 […]