Blog 2- "The Talk"

Having "The Talk" with their pre-teen may be something that both the parents and the teen dread of having. Unfortunately, I am at that stage in my life where I am a parent of a teenage boy as well as a pre-teen. While this conversation occurred a few years ago with my oldest son, I have learned a few things on when and how to discuss this topic. I learned from my oldest son and our conversation when he was 12, that we should just be open an honest early on. At this age, he was in the 6th grade and already in middle school. I was surprised to know that he was already exposed to various conversations with his friends about sex. Discussions should've occurred around 5th grade instead of the 6th grade. Something about pre-teens and even younger kids now a days is that they already know more than they should at their age. Whether other kids talk about sex around them, or they watch sexual images on television, they are exposed to sex very early on. 

There was a study that showed that one of the first methods of being exposed to sex as a child is through television. This study was conducted right before social media increased in popularity. More than 80% of movies and television contain sexual content. With this information, I would make sure to explain the dangers of social media related to talking to people online. I also found a great article that talks about the statistics of sexual encounters via social media such as that 33% if all internet sex-crimes somehow involved social media. I learned that only 10% of parents talk to their kid about how to talk to someone through social media to prevent inappropriate conversations such as saying vulgar things that can be taken as harrassment. I would also discuss the importance of not taking any pictures that may be inappropriate or receiving picture that are inappropriate.

Looking for a way to discuss sex with my other son, I would have this conversation in our kitchen table while all his siblings are upstairs. I think that we would first ask him what he wanted to know about sex and what things he already knows about sex. After we discuss the anatomy of the body and sex in general. I want to give him important information on being safe, the dangers of STDs, and advising him take things slow with girls. In the Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool, it mentions that my son should understand the risk of STDs, and honestly, I think this is the most important aspect of assuring they fully understand the risks of sexual encounters from a health perspective. I also want to make sure that we know about teen pregnancy and the hardships that come with having a child while being a child. I would let him know to respect a girl and when they say "no". The Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool discusses that my son should understand the techniques that can coerce or pressure someone to engage in sexual behaviors. I agree that this is a very important conversation to have to assure that my son understands and values someone’s boundaries. 

The one thing that I have to say is the hardest, is dealing with the attitude of a pre-teen. I found a Christian website regarding how to talk to a teenager. The website listed suggestions on how to talk to a teenager regarding various topics. We all remember being a teenager and having to sit down and get lectured. The website listed locations where a parent can start a conversation to what experiences can help in starting a conversation with your teen.

Reference:

Social Media Statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.guardchild.com/social-media-statistics-2/

Gruber, E., & Grube, J. W. (2000, March). Adolescent sexuality and the media: a review of current knowledge and implications. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1070813/