The Birds and the Bees and the Birdees App

If you are a parent of young children, or are not yet a parent, you may be wondering when to start discussing sex with your kids.

As an infertility counsellor, believe it or not, this issue comes up with my clients all the time. For anyone using donor sperm or egg, there always needs to be a discussion about how to disclose this information to the child and when to do so. But regardless of whether your children were naturally conceived, the product of donor or adopted, the answer as to when to start talking about sex is the same: as early as possible!

Believe it or not, humans are sexual creatures from the day they are born. We do not suddenly become aware of our bodies or develop sexual urges after puberty. Also, nowadays children are exposed to sexualized images and messages very early on.

Beginning to talk to your kids about sex can begin as early as age 2, and should definitely start as soon as they are asking questions about their bodies. What you say and how you present the information will differ, somewhat, depending on the child and on their developmental stage, but it should always be accurate, involve correct anatomical names, and be presented in as simple and non-judgemental a way as possible.

There are lots of books that can help you with this, but if gadgets are more your speed - or more the speed of your little ones - than you may want to check out the new Birdees App that provides detailed information on anatomy, sex and reproduction tailored specifically for children in all age groups.

However you decide to discuss this stuff with your kids, just make sure you do it, and do it sooner rather than later. Remember, you as a parent have the power to help your children develop a healthy attitude towards sex and their bodies. Be approachable. Be accepting. Be open-minded. Stay calm and welcome their curiosity!

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post and all opinions expressed are my own.

Comments

Japanese 7-Spice Kelp Noodles

I love trying new spices and seasonings, so I am very excited that the President's Choice Black Label line now has a bunch of new spice blends available. My most recent find: Shichimi Togarashi, or Japanese 7-Spice blend. It's a combination of crushed red chili flakes, sea salt, Szechiuan peppercorns, black and white sesame seeds, poppy seeds, orange zest, wasabi powder and nori seaweed flakes. I make Japanese-inspired dishes all the time, but resort to the same old flavours most of the time: miso, soy, sesame, ginger and garlic. I was so excited to be able to liven things up a bit. This dish is easy and tasty, although be warned that this seasoning packs punch. I used 1 tsp, which ended up being too spicy for me, and I have a high tolerance for heat! I recommend 1/4-1/2 tsp, or, if you don't like heat at all, make your own at home and omit the red chili flakes. You'll get all the flavour without the heat. I served these noodles with a mix of seafood (

Book Review: The A to Z of Children's Health

Hey there, welcome to Monday! We had a delightful, relatively quiet weekend. How was yours? Hopefully no one in your home was sick...there is a lot of nasty stuff going around these days. If you're a parent, than you have probably spent far more time that you would like to desperately searching Google and/or parenting books trying to figure out if your child's rash, cough or fever warrants a trip to the doctor or if there is something that can be done to treat it. It's hard not to worry that it could be something more ominous that just an every day infection and while you'd make yourself (and everyone around you) nuts if you panicked every time your kid has the sniffles, as a parent, you naturally want to do everything in your power to prevent your child from harm. Recently I was sent The A to Z of Children's Health , written by doctors Jeremy Friedman, Natasha Saunders, and Norman Saunders, of Toronto's very own Hospital for Sick Children . One of th

How to Look Like a Celebrity

Okay, I know you're going to be interested in this post! I am sure virtually every woman in North America has wondered how Hollywood celebrities achieve such 'perfect' bodies. Well, at CAN FIT PRO last week, one of Hollywood's top fitness trainers, Eric the Trainer , was there to tell us fitness professionals the secrets! Eric the Trainer, gave several presentations, and I caught the one on Celebrity Secrets, and it was most interesting!!! I also found some of what he said rather disturbing. First off, he was very upfront about the fact that celebrities come to him for improve their appearance. Not to improve their health or athletic performance. To look their best. He admitted that his approach then, is entirely dedicated to that end. Male and female celebrities are trained in completely different ways because Hollywood wants women to be lithe and thin and in his words, "look like they dropped out of heaven looking this way without every having ste

Healthy Life Lessons

Search This Blog