Family Conversations: Talking about Healthy Sexuality

The Spirit will help you recognize each child's needs.

The world views sex as selfish and narcissistic. Sexual relations should be enjoyed in a healthy marriage relationship. People don't just need to enter marriage pure; they need to enter prepared.

Sometimes we focus on the negative aspects of sexuality. Need to prepare children for healthy sexuality.

If children know that you're comfortable talking about things and you understand them, they'll have an easier time talking to you.

Tie these conversations about intimacy into life events. Always be looking for appropriate opportunities to bring it up.

We need to do as much as possible to be available to our children. The best moments for teaching aren’t always the most convenient.

The scriptures often refer to sexual relations as "they knew someone." Social skills need to be developed in sex education to really get to know someone.

Lessons about sexual intimacy should be layered from little children until dating and marriage. It shouldn't be a onetime event.

You're not alone. There are a lot of great resources to help you teach. When you are teaching truth, the Spirit does help you.

Children appreciate you being honest and open about intimacy.

Parents need to focus on the emotional and relational side of sexuality in preparation for a strong marriage. Chastity does not end in marriage. Teach children why sex means so much more in a healthy marriage relationship.

We don't want children to feel like they're bringing up something we don't discuss or we don't talk about. Be encouraging and invite. Let them know that mistakes are a part of life, but teach them about the Atonement.

Making this a priority will help you with a lot of other aspects of teaching. It will improve your relationship so that they'll come to you for questions with hard things.

Call upon Heavenly Father to help those messages stick with your children when you're not with them. Focus on progression, not perfection.

It's worth the discomfort to talk to children about sexual intimacy. If we don't, someone else will.

Share your own experiences and let your children see a healthy relationship.

Start teaching children young about healthy sexuality in a layered fashion. Teach it plainly and boldly. It needs to be done. Children are getting too few gospel messages and too many negative worldly messages.

The world emphasizes sex as just a physical experience. The gospel teaches, if in within the proper bounds of marriage, it's a unifying of the body and the spirit.

Children and youth receive so many toxic and distorted messages about sexual intimacy. The home is the ideal place to teach them. It's up to parents to teach them plainly and boldly.

Starting as a toddler is a great way to prevent sexual abuse. A great way to start with young children is to talk about the differences between boys and girls.