3 web sites to help you talk to your teens about the birds and the bees

Hands almost touching
Hands almost touching

October is National Family Sexuality Education Month, and you know what that means: You're going to stutter a lot and turn red. But teaching your tweens about sex doesn't have to be so difficult. Here are three web sites to help you get started:

Talking with Kids.org: Run by Talking With Kids About Tough Issues, a national campaign sponsored by Children Now and the Kaiser Family Foundation, this site will give you a place to start when bringing up the birds and bees with the kids. The comprehensive web site advises: "If your child is a pre-teen, you need to include some message about the responsibilities and consequences of sexual activity." If you thought you could wait until high school to bring up sex with your child, think again. Says the site: "Teaching your children about sex demands a gentle, continuous flow of information that should begin as early as possible."

4Parents.gov: Run by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, provides practical solutions for teaching your kids about sex. Among the best advice: "You don't have to know everything about teens and sex. What you really need to know is how to talk to your child, pre-teen or teen about what you believe." And don't think it's all based on one night of "The Talk." 4Parents advises: "You can't talk about sex just once. You have to talk about sex lots of times." And this month is a great time to start.

Honest Exchange.com: Melanie J. Davis, M.Ed., founder of Honest Exchange LLC, runs a sexuality education and communication practice. Her articles, which appear on my web site, MommaSaid.net offer solid advice to parents who want to keep the lines of communication open with their kids. Check out: "Young Adults' Sex Ed Advice for Parentsand Keeping Kids Informed and Innocent" Davis warns that TV often depicts sex as either a "trivial pursuit" or a "deadly encounter." Lucky for us parents, HonestExchange helps us tell the truth about sex to our tweens.


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