The words 'Teenagers and sex' are usually guaranteed to give parents the shakes!

It is a topic which we naturally shy away from, particularly with our own children or parents.

All parents ask themselves:

• What should I do?
• What should I say?
• What shouldn't I say?
• Why has my baby grown up so quickly!

Every stage of our children's development is crucial, but none is so evident to the child himself than when he enters the the world of adolescence!

Your child notices huge and rapid changes in her body, in her emotions and in her relationships.

Your teenager will know very little and yet think he knows everything!

She may be a teenager in love for the first time.

However scary this time is for the child, it is probably scarier for the parent who is aware of all the things that can go wrong!

Any parent of a teenager is painfully aware that if they get fail at this stage, things can go very wrong for their teenager.


So what can I do?

Most importantly, you need to keep the channels of communication open with your child.

Make sure that you have opportunities to talk. Engineer times when your family can get together and just talk. Mealtimes are ideal. If this just doesn't work in your family, how about getting everyone out to a restaurant from time to time?

'Car journeys are also a good time - they can't escape that way!' (Talking to your child about Sex - by Cathy Bailey)

The more you talk, the more you will be able to talk about the tricky subjects!

Next, you will need to plan what you want to talk about in particular:

• Do you need to go back to basics in talking to your teenager about sex and relationships, or have you done some of the groundwork already?
• How can you persuade him or her to wait until they are mature enough to have teenage sex?
• How can you prevent your teen from becoming another statistic as a pregnant teenager or a teenage dad?

You will need to plan each conversation you have in advance, and know what it is you want to say. Always focus on the emotional as well as the practical or medical side of the debate. For example if you want to talk about birth control, you will want to discuss first why for a teenager pregnancy and having a baby is undesirable.

Most of us need support when trying to tackle such a tricky subject with a tricky individual!

For detailed advice on how best to approach the topic of teenagers and sex, go to Child Sex Education

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