Oops. Body parts have names, and using them is the first step to keeping kids safe and healthy. 
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The Birds And The Bees —
How To Talk To Children About Sex
This story is adapted from an episode of Life Kit.
Listen to the podcast at the top of the page, or find it here.
A penis is not a "hoo-hoo," and a vulva is not a "schnoodie"
For this Life Kit episode, on talking about bodies, sexuality and relationships with prepubescent children, we got schooled by Dr. Cora Breuner, who happens to be the lead author of the American Academy of Pediatrics' guidelines for clinicians on evidence-based sexuality education for children and adolescents.The Birds And The Bees —
How To Talk To Children About Sex
> Talk about everybody right from the beginning
Even when we're keeping things brief for children, we still need to be accurate about gender identities and families that might be different from our own. Young kids need to know that not all babies have a mommy and a daddy and that not all girls have vulvas.
Breuner says research shows that when sex education is more inclusive of LGBTQ+ people, it leads to less bullying and discrimination at school.
> Sex ed isn't just about sex
Even in early childhood, parents can lay the groundwork for a better understanding of consent, desire, bodily autonomy and other social and emotional skills that will set children up for success in relationships and in life
> Kids are going to explore their bodies, and that's OK
"I love to joke that I knew that my youngest was a boy, because on the ultrasound, I saw him playing with his penis," McBride jokes. But her point is clear: Genital touching happens in the womb, and later it may well happen in your living room too. What then?
Rough suggests that parents take a deep breath and let their kids know that it's perfectly normal and actually a good thing. "We can challenge ourselves to encourage our children to enjoy living in the human bodies they were given by saying things like, 'Isn't it nice to have a body that can feel good?' "
> Don't forget the joy.
Scientific evidence supports a fact-based approach to teaching sex education,.
And one of the facts about sex that rarely gets taught or even mentioned is that it's supposed to feel good.
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Listen to Life KitThis story is adapted from an episode of Life Kit.
Listen to the podcast at the top of the page, or find it here.
