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I'm just curious as to what all of you think is the right age/time to talk to your child about sex. My oldest son is 7 years old, so I THINK I've got time to address this. Some other parents have told me the earlier the better, but I'm just not so sure he could really understand at this age. I definitely agree kids are exposed to so much more these days than when I was a kid, and I myself learned things 'on my own' when I was 9 years old...found some fun magazines in the bathroom at school. What do you think, is there even an ideal age or any indicators as to when this discussion should be had?
I'm not sure if there's a firm age that is good...I based it on what my kids were hearing 'on the street' from friends, etc....I think my eldest son was 8 or 9...climbed up the tree in the backyard and started asking me questions...I figured that was a good time since he was trapped in the tree and had to listen to me!
I believe it was 10-11 where they had the talk at school in health class...at that time I gave my kids an extended talk at home and a book which went into a lot more detail (even included a section on masturbation) because I'd rather them not worry what is normal vs. not when they are going through the body changes, etc.
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Re: When To Have 'The Talk'
About 9 or 10 for our kids. Somethings they knew and some they didn't. Like Swedish we also had a book called What's Happening to Me. Our kids are in Catholic School so there was also a father/son mother/daughter evening class on respect for your body and others. Both from a spiritual basis as well as a physical/medical one.
Cool, thank you both. I don't think my oldest is quite ready or NEEDS the info just yet, so I'll hold off another year or so...can't believe it's already getting so close though!
Wife's a research biologist, and so when she got pregnant with #2 and #1 wanted to know about babies, she pretty much laid out the basic facts in a form understandable to a 2 1/2 year old. We made a point of never acting like any knowledge was embarrassing or off-limits. We lived a life with no big secrets from the kids, and the kids trusted us even through teenage years and still talk to us now.
There are two books you might like, It's So Amazing and It's Perfectly Normal. I wish they'd been available when ours were little.
I've found that if you wait until they are 11, you can learn some freaking awesome tips. My wife and I hadn't tried the Reverse Cowgirl until my daughter suggested it would hit the G-Spot and allow my wife access to play with my balls during intercourse. We brought her a Wii as a thank you gift.
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My mother told me when I was around 7 years old. I never bought the whole "special hug" story that was going around and I asked for an honest answer. I mean, it made no sense that a hug could get you pregnant when people hugged all the time and didn't end up with a baby. My mom got me the "Where Did I Come From?" books that were around at the time and took me out to lunch at our favorite Italian restaurant. Looking back, it may have been a bit odd to take your young child to a nice restaurant to tell them about penetration but I remember it as a nice day out with mom. I've always been very inquisitive and detail oriented so I asked A LOT of questions. I remember being surprised about the whole penis in the vagina thing, but it tied in to the whole "special hug" theory so I was okay with it.
My younger sister came along and my parents were ready to answer her questions, but they never came. She was totally on board with the "special hug" and didn't need any further clarification. I think they told her when she was around 9 or so because there comes a point when a kid kind of needs to be clued in...
I've found that if you wait until they are 11, you can learn some freaking awesome tips. My wife and I hadn't tried the Reverse Cowgirl until my daughter suggested it would hit the G-Spot and allow my wife access to play with my balls during intercourse. We brought her a Wii as a thank you gift.
When To Have 'The Talk' 
