In February, the month of love and romance, it's a good time to think about how to support our kids in developing lifelong healthy attitudes around their bodies and sex. It may seem too early with a young child, but in fact it's a natural evolution of the questions they are likely already asking – about their bodies and where babies come from. Your child hasn't yet learned embarrassment around these topics, and starting a practice of open, shame-free conversations will set you off on the right path.
Eventually, your child is going to (someday!) grow up into a sexually active adult. This is uncomfortable to acknowledge, but likely true. It's also true that sexual health education impacts youth in a positive way. Kids who receive factual, comprehensive sex ed are more likely to delay the initiation of sexual intercourse and have fewer sex partners. They also typically have less unprotected sex and are more likely to use birth control.
When your children are very young, this may seem like information you don’t need yet. But as you’ll see, creating an open, shame-free atmosphere is very important, and that starts now.
Some information about sex education and the sexual behaviors of U.S. teenagers:
Sex education can improve your child’s health and well-being. Kids who are well informed tend to protect their sexual health and have better boundaries in their early relationships. Scare tactics (disease, heartbreak) on the other hand, to try to dissuade kids from interest in sex, do not function as well.
Sex education improves public health outcomes. When young people have accurate information and are given time to practice, assess, and reflect on what they’re being taught, they gain independence, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills which can decrease rates of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), STIs/STDs, and unintended pregnancy.
Sex education can improve academic performance. It may seem strange that sex ed can help your child out in school, but it’s true. In one study, a community-based sex education program parlayed teen interest in sexuality into increased general academic skills and expanded their career goals.
Recent surveys found that almost half of U.S. teenagers aged 15-19 had had sexual intercourse. These rates which were assessed in 2015-2017 are actually down from 15 years ago when they were well above 50%. More recently 42% of never-married female teenagers and 38% of never-married male teenagers had had sexual intercourse.
Most young people who have sex use contraceptives. In 2015–2017, 78% of females and 89% of males aged 15–24 who had their first sexual intercourse before age 20 used contraception the first time.
While it may be hard to think about those things being relevant when your child isn’t yet school age, operating from the assumption that sex is not shameful, building a foundation of knowledge about consent and body autonomy, and offering relevant, factual information all set the tone for development of a healthy sexuality.
