Here is a funny conversation starter when you want to explain the concept of sexual consent to your older child. Teaching your child about consent (their rights with respect to their own body AND how to respect the rights of others), doesn’t meant that you can’t also talk to your child about your values and expectations around sex. Informing your child about what is lawful and what is assault is a first step in talking about sex. Informing your child of your expectations, rules, and morals regarding sex is another step. Research shows that parent opinion is an important factor in adolescent decision-making, even though it doesn’t always seem that way. Finally, remember it’s not “the talk” that youth need; they need us to talk to them often.
OKPTA Cultivate 