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Become
an Askable Parent - Introduction
Any
loving care-giver--married or single, related or not--can be an effective
sexuality educator. For simplicity, we refer to all caregivers as
parents.
Children learn their values by constantly watching the people who
care for them-by seeing what you do and how you act. Children begin
learning about sexuality when they are infants, and they are sensitive
to a parent's silent signals. By the time children start school, they
already know a lot about human sexuality, especially their own.
This document is about ways you can teach your child about sexuality.
Sexuality education is not just about sex. Sexuality education includes
sex, but also the roles, behaviors and values people associate with
being a man or woman.
Sexuality is both physical and emotional. You can see it in everything
we do: the clothes we wear, the way we walk, the way we talk, how
we show affection and in many everyday events.
Good sexuality education is based on the idea that loving and caring
parents actively discover a child's needs for information and then
find ways to fill those needs. Even adolescents in their mid-teens
are still learning from you. (Yes, you can talk to your teenager about
sexuality!)
Good communication lets you influence a child's behavior before a
crisis happens. For example, many children are afraid to talk to a
parent about natural body functions and whether they are "normal"
or not. This fear may lead to secrecy and isol ation, which, in turn,
may lead to depression, anxiety and other forms of emotional stress.
We believe that solid sexuality education from parents can delay sexual
activity and avert big problems later on. Perhaps most important,
we believe that good communication will help you understand your child
and help you and your child become closer.
The American Social Health Association strongly believes that sexuality
education begins at home and that a parent is a child's most important
sexuality educator.
We feel that children need:
- A clear set
of values
- Accurate
information
- A strong
sense of self-worth
- Decision-making
and communication skills
We do not believe
that talking about sex or sexuality encourages sex. In fact, studies
show that informed teenagers are less likely to have sex.
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