According to Dr. Richard Dobbins, author of Teaching Your Children the Truth About Sex, it’s never too early to start talking to your child about sex.
“In spite of all you will do to control the social contacts in their young lives,” Dobbins says, “there is no way you can totally protect them from the toxic sexual influences permeating our society today.”
Because of this, he recommends that parents of young children build a strong bond of affection by offering them lots of hugs, kisses and compliments. Then, Dobbins says to take advantage of this relationship to carry on a healthy dialogue about sex with them from the time they are able to talk.
“By doing this you can be sure that whatever they hear from others won’t surprise them,” Dobbins explains. “By the time they venture out into the preschool or kindergarten world, you will have become their most trusted expert on the subject of sex.”
He says this is the healthiest way to curb their natural curiosities and keep them looking to you as their trusted source of information as they grow into healthy adults.
Walt Larimore, M.D., is one of America’s best-known family physicians. He is the author of Why ADHD Doesn’t Mean Disaster, which he co-wrote with Dennis Swanberg and Diane Passno. Visit DrWalt.com for more information on this subject and many other health-related topics.
