In Britain, parents at 14: When will you talk 'birds and bees' with your children?

Posted on Wed, Dec 29, 2010 : 11 a.m.

In Britain, parents at 14: When will you talk 'birds and bees' with your children?

By Tammy Mayrend

Children having babies at 14 years old makes parents wonder when having "the talk" would be the most effective.

James Davies Photography

As a parent, talking to my children about "where babies come from" has been on my mind for some time. It started a while back when my son asked the question after seeing a baby cow, and it hass continued as they develop.

My answer has always been an age-appropriate, honest response that answers the questions they ask. Simple. Honest. To the point.

When I hear about children going through puberty at younger ages, tidbits of information my friends children are bringing home from school about the birds and the bees, or about Britain's youngest parents who conceived when they were 13, I become anxious. My mom certainly was honest with me, and we always used correct terminology to understand our bodies and what was happening. Mom and dad always insisted on open communication in the household too. I plan on that same route with my children. How open is too open though?

Tammy Mayrend is a Ann Arbor search marketing professional and mother of two who blogs on low-cost local activities, events, and Ann Arbor area freebies for families at annarbormom.com.

Comments

Tammy Mayrend

Thu, Dec 30, 2010 : 10:55 a.m.

Thanks Sarah. You're right the question may not be the correct one, however as you said, you (and I) had the bulk of our education when we hit puberty and then in young teens. These kids are becoming active an interested even younger now; I suppose that's what scares me. I believe in open communication and will answer the questions as they arise, I'm more concerned personally about when and how much to offer up when the questions don't arise though! At almost 5 and 7 we haven't had too many questions, so I guess I'll just sit tight. I have a book ready to go when they do ask more though!

Sarah Rigg

Thu, Dec 30, 2010 : 9:49 a.m.

I'm not sure that "how open is too open?" is the right question. I believe the studies show that it's the kids with less information that are more likely to become teen parents, not the ones with lots of information about sex. My parents started really young with us, answering questions by age 6-7, giving us books on puberty, and giving us a pretty thorough sex education by middle school (age 12-13), complete with role-playing about ethical situations, and none of us were teen parents. So, I think unless your kids are watching you being overtly sexual with another adult, it's almost impossible to be "too open."