Discussing Sexuality with Your Teens

Heidi: I'm Heidi from Covington Kentucky. My teen is asking me about sex. Well, I had sex at an early age and I don't want to encourage it. How do I avoid telling her about my history and at the same time not be dishonest?

Joe Gigante: Yeah, Heidi, I don't know that you necessarily need to disclose your whole sexual past with your child as you are discussing sexuality with her. I think you could probably frame your discussion in generalities and you can say that in general, most teens when asked about their sexual experiences, about three quarters of them wish they had waited before their first sexual experience. So I think you can use that as a launching point as far as discussing sexuality with your child, and really encouraging them to a delay having sexual relationships before they get -- before they are very young, before they are ready to do so.


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