Scarleteen

My daughter and I are close, but I'm not sure how to talk to her about this. She us 12 and I just want her Fuji have the knowledge I didn't have growing up. I also want her to know that she can come to me with questions, or any thing.


Help!

Hi scholarmom,

I think having some books in the house that contain the info you want her to know would be a good place to start. There's books called "It's Perfectly Normal" "It's So Amazing" and "It's not the Stork" that are by the same team of authors that cover sex, puberty, and other surrounding issues in an accessible and accurate way. One is aimed a little lower, but the other two should be aimed at about the right age for her.

Beyond that, just let her know that you are there for her if she ever has questions or worries about sex or her body. I would also pay attention to how you talk about things when she can hear you. If kids sense that their parents want them to be open with them, but then hear their parents talking in a judgmental way about people who do certain things with their bodies, they're going to be wary of going to their parents for help.