our seven year old daughter has just sprung the question on us
"what is a sex offender?"
assume shes picked it up from the news,
thought about it but most explanations i came up with will probably result in the next question being what is sex.
after a simple way to answer without leading to too many extra questions!
2006-12-01 06:27:21 · 27 answers · asked by Anonymous in Family & Relationships ➔ Family
Although your daughter is 7, these days it's never too early to explain what sex is. (I know, I know, I'm gonna get alot of flack for saying that).. but really, it's true. Kids these days are having sex at younger ages than we ever imagined. Sex is everywhere...tv, radio, news, etc.
Eventually, she's going to get her answer from someone....if you don't answer her, someone else will...and it could be anybody. I doubt, you want her busdriver, or her best friend explaining it to her. And since her next question is undoubtably going to be "what is sex".... it's also the next question you don't want someone else explaining to her.
Although it's a tough subject to discuss... you should be happy she's presenting these questions to you, instead of someone else that might give her bad information, or take advantage of her age. I think it'd also be a good idea to give her the idea NOW, that she can come and ask you anything. This trait will follow through later in life... if you start things off on the right foot now.
Personally, instead of saying what a sex offender is.. I would ask her if she knows what sex is and go from there. You're right, you can't explain one without the other. But if you start off with sex and love (ie. parents who love each other have sex, which is....etc). You can then show how a sex offender is a bad person, that's not in love, etc.
I don't know if that's the "right" way...but personally, I'd rather explain the positive, before I explain the negative.
Good luck!
mj
2006-12-01 06:41:19 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 4⤊ 0⤋
My 7 year old started asking questions regarding sex-and I didn't think she was ready for that chat!! I did a bit of research on how to handle it,and learned I should answer her questions in the simplest way possible without going in to detail.
I suggest you tell your daughter that a sex offender is a very bad person who touches people where he shouldn't and sometimes hurts them. She probably will just want an answer to that question-but if she does go on to ask about sex,give her a simple response.
2006-12-01 14:52:23 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Tell her something like: A sex offender is a grown up who touches someone in the "bathing suit" zone that they shouldnt be touching "there". You and your wife need to have some sort of convo with her about this anyway. Starting an open dialogue on this isnt as bad as it sounds ANDD There ARE some good books out there on this!! :) blessings and good luck
2006-12-01 14:35:59 · answer #3 · answered by cheese food product 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Hi the best think is to be honest with her and if the next question is sex then you have to be honest about that too children are not stupid even at seven she properly knows a bit about sex the sad think is that children grow up so quickly and they are probably talking about it in the play ground especially if her friends have older brothers and sisters. well good luck.
2006-12-05 13:38:22 · answer #4 · answered by boo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you're trying to avoid a lot of questions, good luck. Kids are full of them, and they should be encouraged to ask them. You should never discourage a child from trying to find the answers to their questions, that is how they learn. I assume you'd prefer she come to you with her questions rather than get misinformation from other places. So you answer her question at a level that a 7 year old can handle, and you don't avoid answering it because you're uncomfortable with the topic. Don't let your hang-ups get in the way of what could be an opportunity to guide your child.
2006-12-01 14:34:54 · answer #5 · answered by francesfarmer 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
This is a very bad man who does very bad things to other people who do not like it so they tell the police about him. The police do not like him either and lock him up so he can't do it to anybody else.
If she asks you could say that "sex" is a word for something older people do when they love somebody and its not for little girls just yet.
Then divert her attention to other things by asking her if she remembered to bring her reading book home from school.
2006-12-01 15:03:38 · answer #6 · answered by Joanne E 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
PEOPE THAT DO VERY BAD THINGS TO KIDS BECAUSE THEY R VERY MEAN . IF SHE ASK WHAT KIND OF BAD THINGS SAY " HURT KIDS" AND IF THE QUESTIONS KEEP ON THEN SAY "HEY I GOT AN IDEA?! wanna play keep the meanies away" and proceed to turn teaching her to defend herself against attacks or abduction by games with out scare tactics. it is a huge bonus and her litlle inquisitive mind will be at ease with the game and she wont even realize she is learning a life long lesson!
2006-12-01 14:58:08 · answer #7 · answered by ***BUTTERFLY*** 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would suggest having a frank (although delicate) discussion with your daughter about predators partnered with a review on safe behavior and self-defense. You can explain to her about the dangers with strangers and although explaining the definition of a sex offender can be tough, it is most important to allow your daughter a sense of empowerment by giving her the tools and information she needs to identify and react to bad situations and people.
2006-12-01 14:32:20 · answer #8 · answered by chella_ny2004 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
In my experience it's always best to be honest. There's no way to avoid it or paint a picture for her. Kids now grow up so fast and there is so much going on in the world that we must keep our kids armed with as much information as possible. Make her comfortable enough to always come to you to ask questions instead of other venues where she could be misinformed or mislead.
2006-12-01 14:36:04 · answer #9 · answered by uneekqamar2004 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I assume you've had a talk with your daughter about private parts.
Tell her a sex offender is a bad person who touches children in places ( private areas) that make them feel uncomfortable. If you haven't had a talk about private parts, maybe now is the time.
2006-12-01 14:31:23 · answer #10 · answered by So What 3 · 4⤊ 0⤋