When should you explain the facts of life to your child?

Answer 1

When there old enough to no what your talking about , a little at a time is better than all at once .

Answer 2

You should explain using age appropriate answers from the time your child is 3-4... Children will ask questions at that age and need an answer so the topic of sex isn't a taboo subject.....

By the age of 11-12 your child should have a basic understanding of sex, and you will have built a foundation for communication on the topic... The subject will not be taboo and you will have built your confidence in talking about the subject as you went along.... So when your child has a question they can come to you for the answer....

Avoid the deer in headlights look if at all possible, do your research, learn the current slang terminology (especially important when your child is a teenager)... While you might disagree with some of the acts your child may be asking about you need to give them a straight forward answer and let them know why you disagree with the act...

Your child will find out what they want to know one way or the other, it's far better they recieve accurate information from you than recieve inaccurate information from thier friends...

Answer 3

You should be explaining the "facts of life" throughout childhood. Explain the "facts of life" in age appropriate language and age appropriate details. Don't just drop a bomb on them at age twelve or thirteen. By twelve or thirteen they will have picked up on some misinformation anyway. This education should be gradual and done by you and your wife. By then they should have a pretty good idea of what goes on if you have done your job.

Just make sure you explain things with age appropriate vocabulary and details. Build on the details as your child grows up.

Don't let the schools do it for you. The schools might present the information in ways that go against your family's religious values, world view and moral base.

You'll be okay.

Answer 4

Well, the best thing to remember is that if they are old enough and curious enough to ask the question then they are old enough to hear the answer to the question. The manner in which you respond should be judged upon their level of understanding based on their age range.

I think that once a child reaches 6-7 years of age and hasn't asked any questions then it is time to start talking to them a little at a time. You don't have to start out with the big stuff, just start talking to them about familys and body parts and differences between boys and girls- then go from there. Just make sure they know that when they have a question that you will answer it so they understand, then they will come to you when they have any more questions. This is very important because you will want your children to understand things the way that you explain them, not the way they hear it from their friends or not knowing at all. Good luck.

Answer 5

Depends on the age and maturity of your child, however when my son was 9yrs old he asked me "what does molested mean". He was referring to Micheal Jackson (allegedly) molesting boys, a child had asked at his school and the teacher told the pupils to ask their parents. So I felt there was a need to discuss some of the facts of life sooner than I probably would have done.
Then due to changing schools he missed the formal talk at school so i had to go over the details fully when he was 10years. And after that he stopped coming into our bedroom and would always knock and talk to us through the door, which i think is really sad. Innocence gone.
So not before the age of 11, and by then they are in secondary school with children older than them and better to have the correct facts instead of playground garbage.

Answer 6

Children are incredibly bright. And we mine their minds like if it was a forest. We mine them for simply a particular commodity.

So you must start communicating these facts of life as soon as they can understand things.

Watch "When a Man Loves a Woman" and pay attention to the children characters in the movie. Very bright, very receptive. All children are like this. I really suggest you study this movie and the children characters in it.

Further, in our super-connected world, with the advent of the Internet taking over the world, the fact that your child will probably learn things much much faster and much more radically than the way you did, you need the leverage of trust for them to truly bond with you.

Otherwise, you'll be left behind as an influential person in their lives. And they'll begin to rely more on their friends who, in pretty much all cases, are idiots and aren't the best people to get advise from.

Answer 7

I told my son when he was 11. He was about to start learning about sex ed in school and I wanted to give him some info first. If it were not for the sex ed in school I would have waited maybe another year.. It also dependes on the maturity of the child and if you think he is hanging out with friends who are begining to explore sexuality, I don't mean physically, but asking questions

Answer 8

There should be no "talk" as they should always be learning from an early age. A little at a time. My daughter is a teenager now and I never had "the talk" with her. I've just always been open about things. A good rule of thumb is, if she asks, answer. You'll know when your answer is sufficient. I would talk to my daughter till she became giggly, then I would know she had enough and stop.

Answer 9

I've always been open and honest with my kids from the start and would answer their questions in the most appropriate way for their ages. I think because of this my kids have never hesitated to discuss issues related to the facts of life because it seems a very normal part of life to them.

Answer 10

It really depends. But you can start explaining this to them when they start askig questions. BUT if they don't ask questions you might want to sit down with them when they start handing out with friends and you don't see what they are doing. I don't mean like at 7 or 8 years old. BUT more like 10ish, or 11ish. At this point they will start to be kids as kids will be kids. The interest in girls or boys depending on what sex they are. And if they do NOT know about the facts of life, wellllll again kids will be kids and they will find out for themselves. It is better for them to know before hand so they won't learn on their own and we all know mistakes can and do happen.

Answer 11

It should be an ongoing discussion, beginning as soon as the child asks the first innocent question. Answers should be simple & appropriate to the child's age.