SOME GENERAL GUIDELINES ABOUT ANSWERING. CHILDREN’S QUESTIONS ABOUT SEX
Posted by adminDon’t say too little. This is a common mistake. The child then becomes even more confused but will probably never be able to verbalise his confusion, especially if you have been dismissive or made it all sound so simple that he or she feels they should have understood what you were talking about. On the other hand:
Don’t take the opportunity to deliver a lecture on the subject. Most children are simply looking for a straightforward, uncomplicated answer to what seems to them to be a very simple question. By going on at too much length you will confuse them, especially young ones. Gauge your replies according to what you know the child can cope with intellectually and emotionally.
Try very hard not to colour every answer with your personal views and hang-ups. We all have some negative or downbeat views about sexual subjects and it takes a real effort to try to counteract them for the sake of our children.
Ask the child a question in return and use the answer to teach on.
When a child asks where babies come from you could, for example, ask, ‘Where do you think they come from?’ The child might say, ‘from the tummy button’ and you can use this to teach the true facts and to dispel false beliefs and notion, so killing two birds with one stone.
Always answer sex questions at the time and do so spontaneously.
Never put off the answer or the child will imagine there is something strange going on and that you cannot answer straight away.
Bear in mind that a sex question from a young child simply does not have the same overtones and connotations it would have coming from an adult. If an adult were to ask you, ‘What’s a homosexual?’ your answer would be very different from the one you would give to a six year old, yet the question is exactly the same.
If you don’t know – say so. This raises the general question of honesty. We feel parents should never lie to their children about sexual matters. Children look to us as sources of trustworthy
information on most things in life and we owe it to them not to lie or mislead them with
half-truths.
*147\164\2*
Add A Comment
You must be logged in to post a comment.