Let's talk about sex, baby

WELL...my daughter is a bit too young (three) for me to worry about this. So with the issue brought up, I have no idea how I feel. It could be a plus. With the anonymity kids don't feel pressured to ask/answer a question to someone who may judge. On the other hand, how much do 13 year olds know? And if they know more than I do, should I be alarmed? This world today is CRAZY...we can only trust that we are raising our kids the way we would have wanted to be raised, and that our kids are responding to us.

Hmm...I really don't know what to say...ask me in ten years. Although I doubt I'll have an answer for you then either!

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So long as accurate factual info is being given, I think it's great. Any thing that supports open discussion of sexuality in a safe forum has my vote. I think we separate our children from their sexuality at a time that they need to be given the CORRECT information. So the part about teens talking to teens could freak me out a bit.

I want my kids to be open to the topic when they deem it safe, and able to opt out if they feel uncomfortable. It's their body and their sexuality. I want to be their guide, but not their dictator. So I hope something along these lines is available when mine are older.

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So long as the site is monitored by an adult who ensures that the teens are supplying accurate information, I think it's a great idea. The peergroup, ignorant leading the blind sex dynamic is always going to happen among kids. I think using the internet to manipulate the dynamic is definitely of the good.

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It seems to me that teens will be seeking information from their peers anyhow so they may as well be getting this information in a situation that is monitored for accuracy.
Personally I think it's wonderful for teens to be able to ask the questions they may be too embarassed to ask otherwise. Of course my daughter is 3 so I have quite a few years before I have to worry about this.

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Allowing the info to be monitored is the best of both worlds - if you are too timid to teach your child about sex.
I started teaching my child about sex at 2 and there's no question that is off-limits, so I sometimes fail to understand why the parents arnt the first to step up.

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I used to run an education program that trained teens ages 14-18 to provide medically-accurate, age-appropriate information about sexuality to their peers. It was well received in the community, the schools, by the parents, and we even won a state-wide award for youth achievement from an adolescent pregnancy prevention coalition.

I agree that it's important to monitor the information provided for accuracy, and the sad fact is that not all teens are in a situation where they can ask their parents what they need to know to protect themselves, both physically and emotionally, from the consequences of sexual encounters. Sometimes it's because the kids don't feel comfortable asking their parents; other times the parents don't feel comfortable talking about it. In the worst cases, kids risk harm from parents for even talking about these issues. It's good to have an alternate location to find good info.

My take on this, is that it's never too early to start providing information about sexuality to your children. It needs to be age appropriate, of course, which might take some educating on the parents part to begin with. At the very least, I think parents should strive to be "askable," which means that you don't judge the child or assume that their questions mean they are participating in risky behavior, but rather just treat the question as any other they might have. If you don't know the answer, you look it up with them. You take the opportunity to reinforce your family's beliefs about sexuality...it's a teachable moment.

Parents, faith groups and other relatives provide the values to the teens, and accurate information about sexuality informs them to make healthy decisions that are appropriate to those values.

Bravo to this program!!

Sorry for the length...this topic is close to my heart.

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They're already talking to each other and much earlier than teenage.

My ten year old comes home with some of the wildest misconceptions. When I ask where she heard that she says "so and so told me". So and so is ten as well. I spend a lot of time straightening out the misinformation.

This may ruffle a few feathers, but by the time these kids are teens, it may be too little, too late. Otherwise, it seems like a great idea.

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I agree that kids will always hear things from their peers, and it is far better to have a monitored source of acurate information. I remember being informed of the whole concept of "bases" in a Howard Johnson's bathroom during my friend Ann's 10th birthday party, and I'm still unsure about what constitutes "3rd base"! Seriously, my six year old is starting to volunteer information as to what she's heard, and we are walking that tightrope of answering all her questions openly while trying not to freak her out. I think using the internet is a great idea for this purpose.

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Sex talk starts young, from two or three years old when you start naming body parts, including those under the diaper. It continues as you answer all their questions at age-appropriate levels. I've always been very natural and matter-of-fact about this subject, in fact, I *like* to talk about it - it's *interesting*, after all!

My girls are 20 and 12, my boy 16. The oldest is sexually active. I am fine with this: she's an adult, she's responsible, she's not promiscuous, she takes care of herself.

My children would all be interested in this site, and if it's giving good information, appropriately monitored by responsible adults, I think it's a great idea. I'm also quite sure that my kids would be calling me over to the computer. "Hey mum! Did you know? Look at this!"

In fact, MY kids are the ones that the other kids come to for information, because they get the goods at home.

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