my son asked me about erectile dysfunction.he is 12 years old.should i answer him now or wait one more year?

Question

my son reads the daily newspaper from page to page and usually he hjas one question every day.he knows a great deal about the basics of sex.i have cross checked his source of information.however my dilemma is whether to answer or not.evena scientific reply will perhaps not be meaningful given his prepubertal age.

Answer 1

Modified version/kid friendly:
Yes- I believe since he understands basics of sex he mature enough to tell- better you than somewhere else... However I feel lay it out for him medically with a positive spin. I dont think he needs to know about ED caused by any psycholocical or emotional conditions such as different types of fears etc. This may be harmful to him in the sense he is forming his sexuality and there is no need for him to have a fear that this could happen to him... that would really make him confused. // My best friend has two daughters and unlike my folks with me, they understand sex around same age as your son and are so very well adjusted to knowing about basic sex facts, the actual medical words, and what a treasure sex is with the person you love. I am impressesd how the girls talk about it in such a mature way. It is really rewarding to see the attitude of respect for sex. They learned from mom all of the functions and words and ways of proper sexuality. Really cool to see the freindship they have made with their parents due to such healthy communication.
( If you decide to print this out for him cut it off here and let him read, since he loves to read, just everything below here.)
____________________________________________________

What is ED? It is a medical condition that causes a man not to be able to have a loving relationship with his wife. He no longer has erections in his penis. A system failure of sorts. (He can still urinate/pee normal no problem.) Sexual intercourse is a way to show your loveand make children. Impotence/ED can stop this act from taking place. It can make a man feel very sad and alone that he can not have sex with his wife. How is ED caused you ask? ...It is good to know that this is a medical condition/diagnosis that most of the time, but not always, can be treated and made better by a medical doctor with medicine. The following information will help to understand how ED can happen. It is important to always remember that your body is like a car. It needs good nutrition (grease job and oil changes along with healthy gasoline (you can't drive with water in the gas tank as the car would become ruined forever). I am sure you take care of yourself on the outside; baths, haircuts and style, clean clothes... and you need also take care of yourself on the inside, just like you do your car. Not all people take care of themselves on the inside and they tend to have more medical problems happen.

And Yes, this is a condition that can happen to men, usually later in life. One of the ways it can be caused is by not taking care of oneself.... this is one very important reason that it is important to take care of your health early on by eating a proper diet and staying fit. Start early to remember you are in charge of your body and that it is a machine like a car is.

1) Men with a diagnosis of diabetes often become impotent due to vascular/vein weakening conditions. The blood flow into the veins of the penis causes erection and when the veins inside are damaged there can be a loss of healthy function/erections. Diabetes Type II often is caused by being too overweight usually happens to middle aged or older adults... when this happens, your body does not process sugar correctly and your blood becomes syrupy sugary going thru the veins which damages the veins in the body in all kinds of places (eyes can become blind, kidneys dont work as well, and even things like ED). By the way- It is ok to eat sugar but not too much of it.

2) Eating poorly and being overweight with poor excersise fitness may also cause the condition of high blood pressure, which requires a person to take medications so they do not get a stroke. These medications sometimes cause ED/impotence. A doctor can help this too.

Now these are two of the common contributers to ED. (there are others but I feel this is enough).
What a smart and wise son who reads the paper and learns. At the age of twelve you can begin to learn about how make healthy food choices for yourself and become fit for life. This is a very important life value to learn as it will certainly affect the outcome of having a top notch healthy future as an adult. What a great question to have asked. Dont be embarrased of his asking and he sounds as tho he has a mind for knoweledge. Twelve is a perfect age to begin to understand proper nutrition. There is an abundance of info on the web about heallthy eating as well as the kids webs that are out there.
Best wishes and thanks for the great question. Now it is time for a tasty and healthy Jamba Juice fruit drink smoothies!

Answer 2

He's at an age now where he's old enough to understand the basics. There's really no need to go into every single detail on the matter, but giving him the basics would be perfectly acceptable!

Compare it to something he will certainly understand. For example, I'm sure he's seen at least one senior citizen walking around with a cane or walker.

Just explain to him that when people get older, their body isn't in shape like a young person's. As long as you make sure to use anatomically correct terms and simple explanations, there shouldn't be any problem explaining it all.

Good luck and I wish you the best! And kudos for raising a child who is inquisitive and wanting to learn!

Answer 3

Are you making a habit of this? If so, that's abuse. He's 12. I don't know if he has the good judgment that that was the wrong thing to do. You should have talked to him about it, and set ground rules for sleepovers. Spanking him is a mideval discipline that will either have a positive or a very negative outcome. Instead of "whoopin" him, try taking away privelages the next time he does that.

Answer 4

give a bit of both, it is important to answer all the questions. I am training as a primary school teacher and we have been taught that it is important to give the scientific answer when it comes to sexual education, and not just wash over it with code words. If he knows a great deal about sex already I'm sure he will understand the basic words, like erection already. Having open conversations about these types of topics leads to more openness in the future, something you will need as he becomes a teenager.

Answer 5

Answer the question. He is curious and you should encourage his curiosity and not make him ashamed of it. Didn't you have a lot of questions when you were his age? Didn't your friends fill your head with a lot of BS? Don't let him go though that too. Sit down with him, answer the question and ask him whether he has more questions. You want him to feel comfortable asking YOU for answers.

Good luck!

Answer 6

You really don't have to answer your son's question. Like he has learnt the basics of sex without your help, he will also find the answer to his question. Better keep an eye on your son and his peers.

Answer 7

Even if he is prepubertal he most likely knows what an erection is, even babies get them at times, and I am sure he has been taught one way or another what it is, so just explain it to him, that its a disorder where the penis does not function properly...what is one more year gonna do?

Answer 8

I think he's old enough to know what ED is, tell him and I am sure he won't be too shocked.

Answer 9

answer only in a factual matter and not in too much detail if he doesnt get the answer from you he will get one from someone else that might not be truly accurate

Answer 10

Just be honest!

That way he knows he can always come to you and ask you for advice.