I don’t have any children, other than my four legged daughter, but I’ve always been intrigued about how people learn about sex. Obviously we are not born with the analytical knowledge of sex, merely a primal urge to fulfill. How does one talk to their child about sex without being too clinical or too detailed?
Growing up, I had two polar opposites in my household. My Mother believed in being open and honest about everything. While my Father on the other hand was very close minded and didn’t want to talk about anything aside from sports or construction. I think having the contrast in my youth helped balance me out. I had someone I was open with and someone I was topical with.
Just the other day my Mother retold the story of one of the first sex questions I ever asked. It happened while watching Night Court, one of the characters made reference to “Bull” being impotent. I didn’t understand this word, and always wanting to learn new things I asked her what it meant. Without skipping a beat she explained what an erection was (relating it to my “morning” issue) and that being impotent meant that he couldn’t have one anymore.
I don’t remember many events from my childhood, including that one, due to an accident that caused me to lose a good portion of my memory prior to sixteen, but I do remember not being confused about sex. Knowing that it had it’s pleasures and consequences. And that it often meant something different to girls than it did boys.
I guess I’m just really glad that I was able to ask questions without being told, “We’ll talk about it when you’re a little older.”
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