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Straight Talk About Sex
Giving Your Child the Facts About Sex
By Tara Swords
- Explore your own attitudes.
- Take the initiative.
- Be specific.
- Talk in age-appropriate terms.
- Talk about values.
- Talk to your child of the opposite sex.
- Relax.
Misty Schaefer's daughter is only 4 months old, but she already knows the value of an open relationship with her child. "I want my child to feel she can come to me with any situation, and we will handle it together," says Schaefer. "I think if you open the door to the dreadful 'sex' talk, that breaks the ice and says, 'Hey, it is OK to talk about this kind of stuff with my parents. They had these problems when they were my age.'"
And Exner says she'll give her daughter all the information she requests – even some she might not request. "I really resent the fact that my mother did not teach me anything," she says. "I will definitely teach [my daughter] that to abstain is best, but at the same time I will provide her with condoms and instructions on how to use them. While I would rather that she wait for sex, I will be realistic rather than blind."
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