Why parents should talk to their children about sexuality

Father conversing with sad preteen daughter. [File Courtesy]

Speaking to your child about sex-related matters can be uncomfortable, to say the least. God forbid they are teenagers, they'll give you the 'ick' and beg you to stop. But that discomfort is no excuse to sweep important matters under the rug and hope they will figure it out the way we did. Let's be honest, figuring it out on our own was hard, confusing, and at times, dangerous. We owe it to our children to give them a heads-up on some of these things. That said, you can't just bombard them with information; you need to set the tone. For example, asking your daughter about her periods while her three-year-old sibling is present may end up raising more questions from the toddler than getting answers from your daughter.