whats the best age to discuss puberty to your daughter?

Question

my daughters nineyrs.whats the best way approach the hows and whys of the menstrual cycle.i have 4 brothers and cant remember my mother telling me anything.

Answer 1

it depends on your daughter and how mature is she? i was 10 when i got told and i think that was the right time for me because when puberty did happen i understood and wasn't scared. its up to you if you think your daughter can handle it. x good luck. x

Answer 2

Have a girls night in with a movie, some popcorn and some nail varnish and start discussing things as you paint her nails...in my opinion it is very important that you do it sooner rather than later...the information you give her now could be the difference between her knowing the truth or some crappy myths that her mates tell her...Also a good time to talk about sex and contraception, about love and relationships...

My mother never spoke to me at all, a month before my 10th birthday whilst i was at school i had my first period...i had no idea what was happening and thought i was going to die....after all i was bleeding from my privates...even after that mum just said it was normal and t was my father that had to explain all the In's and outs....

I start teaching my children including the boys about periods and sex as early as possible, even my 3 year old knows that mummy's bleed from their bits....

Good luck and best wishes

Answer 3

Just be open, honest and natural. When I had the talk with my stepdaughter, I got a book from always, looks like maybe it is a website now, or maybe you can order the book. It was called Being Girl. It had cute illustrations, and really explained things on a kids level.

American Girl has several good books too -- The Care and Keeping of You is a great one about BO and showers, and stuff like that. (also available in Barnes and Noble and Borders -- probably even Target).

Remember that talking to her once is not enough. Once now, maybe again in a year. Make sure she knows where the pads are, and how to use them -- maybe not now, maybe in a year or so. But I got my period when my mom was at a PTA meeting and I was home with my dad and I spent 2 hrs that seemed an eternity crying in my room. I knew what it was, and my mom had prepared me, all except where the pads were!

You are being a great mom by taking the steps to prepare her! Good luck, and just remember, talk to her and be open, and she will be open with you on the other end.

Answer 4

I have an 8 yr old daughter and I have been telling her little parts of growing up since she was about 3. I was pregnant with my 3rd child and she started asking questions so i answered as honestly as you can answer question like how is the baby coming out when she was only 3! But since she has gotten older it has been a Constance learning curve of questions and age approate answers. so I'd say 9 is the right age to discuss puberty.

Answer 5

See this

http://www.advocatesforyouth.org/publications/factsheet/fsest.htm
http://www.nvsh.nl/english/index.htm

http://www.mistymedia.co.uk/blog/2005/09/29/dutch_sex_education/


http://www.channel4.com/learning/microsites/L/lifestuff/content/up_close/letstalksex/index.html


http://www.channel4.com/learning/microsites/L/lifestuff/content/up_close/letstalksex/dutch.html


http://www.channel4.com/learning/microsites/L/lifestuff/content/up_close/letstalksex/findoutmore.html

DUTCH SEX EDUCATION
www.plannedparenthood.org/pp2/tcr/files/tcr/news/
europetour.xml#1119288090469::6998015254475574609
Blog of American sex educator on fact-finding tour round Europe, including trip to Netherlands


http://www.rutgersnissogroep.nl/English


HELPLINES FOR TEENAGERS TO ANSWER QUESTIONS

What you have to look forward to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K45m79fEyz8


Age four.

The most successful european countires with the least messed up teenagers and lowest std and teen pregnancy rate start around this age...

Do it all the time, in every year and cover ALL aspects of sex and realtioships and puberty throughout all subjects with all youth and childrens groups, backing from parents, the media and so on.

As all the time from four it becomes so normalised discussing sex and relatioship there is no more awkardness or embarrasment or notions of appropiateness


Then if someone was discussing Area in maths or how water turns to steam in chemistry.

Ie discussing things like female masturbation in graphic detail and how females prefer rabbit vibrators and why and how their body works whilst males like porn and why and how it works in terms of what it is they are attracted to. The kids may as well be discussing the water cycle in geography.

These I kid you not is what normal lessons kids in these countires are covering... by 14 they actually go on school trips to sex shows and discuss and learn about all the types of products there. Mentioned in the documentries above.

Which teach sex for teeangers in temsn of the realtioships they will soon have, in fun, pleasurable and loving ways.

Not for making babies in a marriage.

Depictions of sex includine all the affection, kissing, foreplay in detail, positions, contraception and after mating hugging, snuggling etc.

No giggles, no embarrasment and if you walked in and freaked out on 7 year olds being show that or UK kids were laughing and giggling.

Those countires kids would be looking at your like you are nuts or immature idiots and wondering waht was making you behave the way your were.

Waiting till she was nine years old was a very irresponsible and nasty thing to do as many girls have their first period around this time or earlier or may start to form brests and it can be extreamly emotionaly damaging or terrifying say if they start having their first period in the school showers thinking they are dying like in the begging of the origonal film

Carrie. <---- you should really see that.

If you find it disturbing imagine that was your daughter in the film.

Likewise if she sees a sex scene in a film without knowing whats happening it would appear the guy if brutalising and murdering the girl.

These experiences have very lasting effects for the rest of their life and can destroy future relationships.

Films are a very useful tool.

For example show them the Films the blue lagoon and then discuss thefilm and use it to introduce things.

Blue Lagoon Two - the return to the blue lagoon.

Has a very good starting point where the mother figure mentions that when the girl grown up she will have these periods and that its not a bad thing it just means she is growing up and becoming a woman and capable of having a baby (but will not be fully ready till mid tenties in terms of life as now it would hurt... which is why its best to wait till around 16 before having sex and always using 2 forms of contractpion till readdy to have a baby)

You dont do a one off lesson.

Answer 6

I don't know how I would approach it at 9 years of age... in my opinion it's best to start when they're quite young, so that it never seems like a weird, embarrassing thing. Good luck!

Answer 7

Age 3

Answer 8

Have a word with her teacher. The school will have a sex-ed policy (it might even be available on their website) and this will give you some guidance as to timing and what subjects will be discussed at school and when.

Answer 9

wow i would advise you start to tell her now beacuse its getting a bit late my mother told me about the birds and the bees at 6 and then again at 8 and again at 11 and you know what i havn't lacked any knowledge /gotten a teen pregnacy or anything like that shes a nurse with her head screwed on bascially tell the girl as soon as possible she has a right to know about her own body and if you teach children about these things you know they will be safe and they won't go about clueless

Answer 10

The best age would be around 9 or 10 years old. But usually everything like sex kids already know because of t.v, books, and school.