Tips for Talking to Youth

Quick Tips for Parents

A Few Quick Tips:

Make it a lifelong conversation (keep it age appropriate and start young, no toddler will role his eyes and sigh when you tell him the proper name for his penis, plus, by having a continual conversation throughout children's lives about these topics, both parents and children feel more comfortable talking with each other)
Know your comfort level
Share your own sexual values
Give your child permission to ask about sex
Use age-appropriate language
Allow for adequate time to talk about sex—don’t rush it; car rides can be great opportunities for this, the child cannot walk away, and both members are partially distracted by driving, so some of the pressure that can arise during these conversations can be relieved.

Download age-appropriate topics and resources here.

Advice, Books and Other Resources

This document offers links to various articles about how to talk to children and youth, books about how to talk to your child about sex, and internet sexual health education websites for teens and parents.
This document offers advice on talking with children about sexual health, from naming body-parts during infancy through tackling the Big Talks with teens.
This article from St. Louis Children's Hospital offers advice for parents about how to talk to their teens about sex.
This document discusses what teens want adults to know about teen pregnancy.
2018 Champion Guide: Tips and Scripts for Talking to Your Kids About Relationships.
Ten Tips for Parents to help their youth avoid teen pregnancy.

How to Respond to Difficult Questions

Videos to Show Parents How to Talk With Youth

These videos, made for parents of teens, show:

Below are short videos from Amaze to help parents start conversations about specific topics with their kids:

Videos Que Demuestran Cómo Padres Pueden Hablar con Sus Adolescentes