having a fairly detailed talk about sex, pregnancy and birth control with your kids? I don't mean telling them how to have sex. But making sure that they know how you can and can not get pregnant. How to properly use a condom and the proper way to use birth control. Also how the reproductive system works. Just curious because it seems anymore teens don't know what does and does not get them pregnant and how to prevent it. I don't mean all teens either. Also would you rather your daughter come and tell you if she is having sex so you can make sure she is on birth control or would you rather not know and let her take care of it by herself?
I don't plan on having "a" talk. I plan on having numerous talks throughout her life. We plan to make sex an open topic in our house so if she ever has a question about something, she'll know that we will answer it for her to the best of our ability. While keeping it age appropriate of course. And I would rather know that my daughter was having sex so that I can make sure she is protecting herself. I would rather have a teen practicing safe sex than a teen preparing for parenthood.
I plan on having a serious talk with my kids about it. I feel really bad for my youngest brother's girlfriend...she has to get birth control with no insurance help and without her mother knowing because her mother "doesn't believe in birth control because it will make her daughter want to have sex." It makes me sad that at 19, her mother still won't even begin to think her daughter might have sex (yes, with my brother, they have been together for almost 3 years). And she has completely avoided the topic. My mom was great about talking to us about sex and how it works and how you can get pregnant. She was always very supportive about such things. You have to be realistic in these days and I am not willing to assume my kids are not having sex at a younger age then I was...and risk one of them coming home pregnant or with a pregnant girlfriend.
our kids know about sex. they don't know details but they know very age appropriate stuff like for example... the 8 and 6 year olds know about periods and how it's a woman's body emptying out what would have been the lining for the egg to grow had she been pregnant. My 8 yr old son knows that men and woman fit together in a way that makes him leave his sperm in the woman... and he knows what happens from there on. My 6 yr old daughter is ok thinking that ther man plants his seed in the mom and it grows into a baby. The 4 yr old simply knows it takes a mom and a dad and lots of love.
the 8 yr old knows people have sex fr fun and that if they aren't safe she'll get pregnant and that you can get very sick from it.
if my kids where to ask i would answer. we don't hide stuff like that from them. we are also not embarrassed to talk about it. also, we are realistic about kids and teens and what they know and what they do and we are aware that sex feels good and once they figured that out they'll be doing it again... and if they are smart and safe then we are ok with that.
I believe it is necessary to discuss this topic or have "the talk" with your child as the reach the appropriate age. You should discuss that you should never be pressured to have sex with anyone. You should let your children know that now is not the appropriate time to be sexually active and when they are sexually active to use protection such as condoms and birth control products. Your child should know that its okay to discuss topics as such with you because that's your job. Yes, I would like my daughter to come to me once she is sexually active if she needed help, I would want to be sure that she was using birth control.