Parent Resources
- Talking with your sexually active teens about contraception
- Importance on parent-child communication to help child understand your beliefs, values, and expectations
- Know the current literature on STI’s and contraception options (understanding that these change regularly)
- Avoid assumptions (about your child’s sexual knowledge, your child’s sexual orientation, or assuming there is only vaginal intercourse)
- Encourage teen to do their own research on contraception options and possibly make pro and con list to go over with parent
- Knowing that not all birth control protects from STI’s
- Discuss sexual coercion and dating violence
- Identify other resources (doctors, other adults to talk to)
- How parent-child communication can impact health, achievement, and self-esteem
- Communication improves contraception and condom usage
- Parent-child communication by race/ethnicity may vary, but all parents are a crucial source of sexual health information for all youth
American Sexual Health Association
- The crucial aspect of parents needing to shows respect, value, and love towards the child
- Most important part is to listen
- Continue to learn for yourself (be prepared)
- “This fact sheet offers practical actions for parents to help strengthen their efforts to engage positively with their teens and to have meaningful discussions with them about sex.”
- Importance of talking about sex and healthy relationships
- Talking with your kids about sex does make a positive difference
- Do not assume your child is getting all of the proper sex education from school
- Avoid overreacting
- This is not a one-time talk
- What topics you should go over with your child (relationships, communication, factual information, protection, ect.)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Learn how to handle common parenting challenges through interactive activities, videos, and more.
- Figure out what you already know and what you don’t know (need to learn)
- Know your values and beliefs
- Start talking early
- Use age-appropriate information
- Help them understand their bodies
- You don’t have to have someone of the same sex as your child do the talking (a mother should still be able to talk with her son about sex-related topics)
Family & Youth Services Bureau
- Quick facts about parent-child communication
- Strategies for incorporating parent-child communication topics
- Growth & Development
- Sexual Development
- Abstinence
- Birth Control
- Condoms
- Understanding Early Sexual Development
- Resources for Families
- Statistics on teen sexual activity rates (myth vs reality)
- Importance of parent/teen communication (especially about sex)
- Values
- Parents can provide accurate information, unlike if a teen was getting their information from a peer
- Other support resources (sex education and medical care)
- Timing of conversations
- Be prepared
- If you are embarrassed by the conversation or question, say so
- Don’t try to use current lingo/slang
- Be clear about your values
- Initiate the conversation
- Be aware of hidden meanings of your child’s questions
Sutter Health: Palo Alto Medical Foundation
- Parents are the most important sexuality educators for their children
- No parent needs to be an expert on sexuality to have meaningful conversations with their children
- Talking with your child about sex does not lead them to have sex sooner
- What topics to talk about (reproductive anatomy, pregnancy, intercourse, birth control, ect.)
- How to not alienate your teen (values, beliefs, don’t preach, ect.)
- Keep the conversation going (this is not a one-time talk)
- Sex in the media
- Talking with your kids about tough issues (e.g. bullying, alcohol, racism, HIV/AIDS, etc.)
- Talk With Your Kids Timeline + Tips
- Parents influence teens’ sexual decision making
- How Parent Can Help Prevent Teen Pregnancy