• About Us
    • FAQs
    • Interview with Dr. Allison Sibley
  • New! Mental Health Consultations
  • Our Services
    • New! Mental Health Consultations
    • Adult Therapy
    • Child Therapies
    • Teen Therapy
    • Couples Counseling and Therapy
    • Family Therapy
    • Group therapy for children
    • Group therapy for teens and adolescents
  • Therapists
    • Allison Sibley, PHD, LICSW, RPT-S
    • Cristina Alba, MSW, LGSW
    • Justin Barrasso, MS, LPC, NCC
    • Danielle Birx-Raybuck, LICSW, LCSW-C
    • Alexander Chan, PhD, LMFT
    • Kristin Drouin, MSW, LCSW, LICSW, APHSW-C
    • Amanda Good, MSW, LICSW, EMDR-C
    • Jules Hartsfeld, LPC, LCAS, CCTP
    • Alexis Herschthal, MSW, LICSW
    • Sarah Jones, LICSW, LCSW-C
    • Meagan Mitchell, MSW, LICSW, MEd
    • Sarah Perrin, MSW, LGSW
    • Michelle Pittman, MSW, LICSW
    • Georgette Saad, MSW, LICSW
    • Rachel Scharf, MSW, LGSW
    • Barry Shapiro, MSW, LICSW
    • Laurel Tobias, MSW, LICSW
    • Lottie Walker, MSW, LGSW, CSE
    • Rachel Yutzy, MSS, LICSW
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
    • Hours & Location
    • Payment & Forms
    • Assistant to the Director – Sherri Eichberg
  • Home
  • About Us »
    • FAQs »
    • Interview with Dr. Allison Sibley »
  • New! Mental Health Consultations »
  • Our Services »
    • New! Mental Health Consultations »
    • Adult Therapy »
    • Child Therapies »
    • Teen Therapy »
    • Couples Counseling and Therapy »
    • Family Therapy »
    • Group therapy for children »
    • Group therapy for teens and adolescents »
  • Therapists »
    • Allison Sibley, PHD, LICSW, RPT-S »
    • Cristina Alba, MSW, LGSW »
    • Justin Barrasso, MS, LPC, NCC »
    • Danielle Birx-Raybuck, LICSW, LCSW-C »
    • Alexander Chan, PhD, LMFT »
    • Kristin Drouin, MSW, LCSW, LICSW, APHSW-C »
    • Amanda Good, MSW, LICSW, EMDR-C »
    • Jules Hartsfeld, LPC, LCAS, CCTP »
    • Alexis Herschthal, MSW, LICSW »
    • Sarah Jones, LICSW, LCSW-C »
    • Meagan Mitchell, MSW, LICSW, MEd »
    • Sarah Perrin, MSW, LGSW »
    • Michelle Pittman, MSW, LICSW »
    • Georgette Saad, MSW, LICSW »
    • Rachel Scharf, MSW, LGSW »
    • Barry Shapiro, MSW, LICSW »
    • Laurel Tobias, MSW, LICSW »
    • Lottie Walker, MSW, LGSW, CSE »
    • Rachel Yutzy, MSS, LICSW »
  • Blog »
  • Contact Us »
    • Hours & Location »
    • Payment & Forms »
    • Assistant to the Director – Sherri Eichberg »
  • Home »
 
facebook

Capitol Hill office is now open!

Schedule an appointment at intake@thesibleygroupdc.com
  • Recent Posts

    • Diving Into EMDR
    • Parenting as A Portal
    • The Parenting Pathway
    • Window of Tolerance: The Resiliency Concept Everyone Should Know About
    • The Truth about Therapy
  • Archives

    • May 2023
    • March 2023
    • January 2023
    • December 2022
    • November 2022
    • October 2022
    • August 2022
    • July 2022
    • June 2022
    • May 2022
    • April 2022
    • March 2022
    • February 2022
    • January 2022
    • December 2021
    • November 2021
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • August 2021
    • July 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • April 2020
    • March 2020
    • February 2020
    • January 2020
    • December 2019
    • November 2019
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • June 2019
    • May 2019
    • April 2019
    • March 2019
    • February 2019
    • January 2019
    • December 2018
    • October 2018
    • September 2018
    • August 2018
    • July 2018
    • June 2018
    • May 2018
    • April 2018
    • March 2018
    • February 2018
    • January 2018
    • December 2017
    • November 2017
    • October 2017
    • September 2017
    • August 2017
    • July 2017
    • June 2017
    • May 2017
    • April 2017
    • March 2017
    • January 2017
    • December 2016
    • November 2016
    • October 2016
    • September 2016
    • August 2016
    • July 2016
    • June 2016
    • May 2016
  • Categories

    • ADHD
    • Adult Psychotherapy
    • Anxiety
    • Bethesda Psychotherapist
    • Child Counseling
    • Child therapy
    • Coping Skills
    • Couples Therapy
    • DC Psychotherapist
    • Depression
    • Divorce
    • Family Therapy
    • Mindfulness
    • Parenting
    • Self-care
    • Uncategorized
    • Washington

Talking About the Birds and the Bees: How to Become Your Child’s Askable Adult

Posted by Lottie Walker

 

With the world reopening and social connections blossoming, it’s a good time to think about one of the more dreaded parent topics: The Birds and The Bees, a.k.a. Sex.  As a Child & Adolescent Therapist and Sex Educator, it is my goal to help parents get more comfortable with having these talks with their children. Talking to kids about sex, sexuality, and relationships can feel like some of the most uncomforatble conversations we may have as parents.  However, as Kim Cavill, creator of the Six Minute Sex Ed podcast, said, “We don’t get to choose whether or not young people learn about sex.  We get to choose how they learn about sex.”  Without us, kids will learn about sex but they may turn to less-than-helpful sources.  Studies have shown that adolescents are more likely to delay initiating sexual intercourse if they feel comfortable communicating with their parents about sexual health.  We all want to be the person our kids come to with questions and concerns, but how do we become that askable adult?  

 

Some things to keep in mind when talking to your kids about sex:

 

  1. This will not be a one time conversation: Go into this knowing that this won’t be a one-off chat.  The best way to approach this topic is with a series of conversations, each meeting your child where they are developmentally.
  2. Answer their questions: As you start these conversations, your child may have questions.  Sometimes these questions will be ones you can answer right away, others will require some thinking and/or research. It’s OK to tell them you don’t know.  You are not expected to know everything, no one is.
  3. Think about your own feelings and values: Knowing the feelings you bring to the table will help you validate your child’s thoughts and feelings.
  4. Learn the correct terminology for body parts and functions: This will allow your child to learn correct terminology too.  Slang is confusing and may mean different things to different people. 
  5. Have a conversation: Let this conversation be a two-way street.  Listen to your child and validate their understanding even if they do not share the same perspective as you.
  6. Use teachable moments: As you are watching tv, movies, or listening to the radio, use relevant moments from shows, movies, and pop culture as opportunities for conversation.

 

When you’re ready, below are a list of resources for parents about how to start the conversation and where to get help with questions, as well as a few kids-specific resources. 

 

Websites for Parents:

Sex Positive Families – this site is full of resources for kids and families, curated by topic and age 

Talk with Your Kids – website dedicated to helping parents have conversations about health and relationships

Planned Parenthood – parent resource guide curated by topic and age

Six Minute Sex Ed – short episodes about all things sex, sexuality, and sexual health

Amaze – collection of cartoon videos for youth as well as a pledge and guide to becoming an askable parent

Advocates for Youth – health information fact sheets and advocacy on behalf of inclusive sexual health education

 

Books for Parents:

Raising a Child Responsibly in a Sexually Permissive World by Sol Gordon and Judith Gordon

Beyond the Big Talk: A Parent’s Guide to Raising Sexually Healthy Teens by Debra Haffner

Sex & Sensibility: The Thinking Parent’s Guide to Talking Sense About Sex by Deborah Roffman

Talk to Me First: Everything You Need to Know to Become Your Kids’ “Go-To” Person about Sex by Deborah Roffman

 

Websites for Youth:

Scarleteen – articles for teens and adults about a range of sexual health, gender, sexuality, and relationship topics

Amaze – a collection of cartoon videos covering all topics related to puberty, sex, sexuality, and relationships

 

Books for Youth:

Wait, What?: A Comic Book Guide to Relationships, Bodies, and Growing up by Heather Corinna and Isabella Rotman

S.E.X., second edition: The All-You-Need-To-Know Sexuality Guide to Get You through Your Teens and Twenties by Heather Corinna

This entry was posted in Child Counseling, Parenting and tagged "birds and the bees" talk, sex educator, sexual health conversations. Bookmark the permalink.
← Previous Post Next Post →
  • About Us
  • Our Services
  • Hours & Location
  • Payment & Forms
  • Blog
  • Contact Us
  • Home
  • No Surprises Act

Allison Sibley & Associates, PLLC • 5039 Connecticut Avenue NW #5 Washington DC 20008
202-237-1196 [office]

Website by MightyLittleWebShop.com. Photos by Karen Elliott Greisdorf and Amanda Good.

©️ Copyright 2023. The Sibley Group. All rights reserved.

 

favicon

New Service Offerings: Mental Health Consultations

TSG is aware of the high level of need for mental health support and treatment for the families in our community and beyond, and an increasingly short supply of available therapists. We are excited to offer new services with immediate daytime availability: Mental Health Consultations. These appointments are a one-time or brief preventive and/or supportive service for individuals and families who are not engaged in therapy at TSG, yet could benefit from consulting with a mental health expert in a variety of ways. Email intake@thesibleygroupdc.com for more information or to schedule a consultation.

Click here for more information on on our new mental health consultation service.