Parent Resources

Advocates for Youth (1)

  • 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)

Advocates for Youth (2)

  • 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)

CDC

  • “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.

Children Now

  • 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

Kids Health

  • Growth & Development
  • Sexual Development
  • Abstinence
  • Birth Control
  • Condoms
  • Understanding Early Sexual Development

Office of Adolescent Health

Resources for Families

SHIFT NC

  • 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)

Shoulder to Shoulder

  • 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

Talk with Kids (Nickelodeon)

Talking with your kids about tough issues (e.g. bullying, alcohol, racism, HIV/AIDS, etc.)

Talk With Your Kids

Talk With Your Kids Timeline + Tips

The National Campaign (1)

Parents influence teens’ sexual decision making

The National Campaign (2)

How Parent Can Help Prevent Teen Pregnancy