Debunking 16 myths and facts about sex ed: A guide for parents

When you first start thinking about sex education, it is pretty common to have fears about whether you are doing the right thing by talking to your kids about sex. There are a whole lot of common myths and facts about sex that get mixed up!

And as a parent, it can be hard to tell the difference between the most common myths and facts about sex, as some of them are unbelievable!

You’re not alone, as most other parents have questions and concerns too about sex education and are wondering about how much information they should be sharing with their kids and how to go about it.

Here you will find some of the most common reasons that stop parents from talking to their kids about sex.

You’ll find more information about sex education in my Sex Education 101 page.

Let’s get started!

16 common myths and facts about sex

Here are some of the most common concerns that stop parents from talking to their kids about sex.

1. They’ll lose their innocence.

No, your kids won’t lose their innocence, but by not talking to your kids about sexuality, you are leaving them ignorant and vulnerable to sexual exploitation and abuse.  If anything, talking to your kids about sex will actually help to maintain their innocence. It is important to remember that ‘innocence’ differs from ‘ignorance’. Innocence can be seen as freedom from guilt or shame, whereas ignorance means lacking knowledge or information.

I think that the best place for kids to learn about sexuality is in the home, knowing that they have parents that they can trust and come to with all their questions. You can read more in this article about the benefits of sex education.

2. It is too embarrassing.

Guess what, you’re not alone! All parents feel varying degrees of embarrassment when talking to their kids about sexuality. It just comes with the territory!

But there are some things that you can do to help manage your embarrassment:

• Let your kids know that you feel embarrassed, and try saying something like
• “I feel a bit uncomfortable talking about sex because my parents never talked with me about it. But this is an important subject, so I want to talk with you about it.”
• Start talking early whilst they are still happy with simple information.
• Talk when you’re doing something else, such as the washing up – it makes it seem like an everyday topic and not something to be ashamed of.
• Take a deep breath and take your time to respond to questions – what’s the rush?
• Use humour – you don’t have to make a joke about it but laughing about sex and relationships shows that it is a regular topic.
• Get some sex education books to read with your kids – you can learn more about reading books about sex here.
• Have a phrase ready for those inappropriate moments – “That’s a good question. How about we talk about it when we get home”. Make sure you do follow up on the question.

3. They don’t ask any questions.

Some kids just don’t ask a lot of questions about sex and relationships, but it doesn’t mean that they aren’t interested.  It just means that you must be the first to bring up the subject.

Here are two ways that you can bring up the subject. You could look for an everyday opportunity to start talking about it, e.g. the next time you see a pregnant woman, you could say something about her having a baby soon. You could buy a sex education book on a specific topic and read it.

4. I don’t know how to answer their questions.

You answer their questions simply and honestly with enough information to satisfy their curiosity. Kids will usually ask another question if they need more information or don’t understand you. Keep it short, based on facts and positive.

And if you’re unsure about how best to answer their questions, then The Sex Education Answer Book will give you age-specific answers to the most common questions kids like to ask parents about sex. 

5. They might ask questions at the wrong time or place.

Trust me, they will ask their questions at the wrong place and time – at the supermarket, on the bus, while their grandparents are visiting…

The important thing is to let them know that their question or comment is very interesting and important, but it is better discussed in a more private place, when alone together, or when there is more time to discuss the question.

Have a phrase ready for inappropriate moments – “That’s a good question. Let’s talk about it when we get home”. It is important to remember to follow up when the time is more appropriate.

6. I might give them too much information.

No, you can’t tell them too much.

Kids can only take in as much information as they can understand. If you give them too much information, they will get bored and switch off. You’ll see their eyes glaze over, and they will stop asking questions or just wander off, meaning that they have probably heard enough for today anyway. Remember not to turn each conversation into a lecture but to listen and to ask questions in return.

Mostly, the information they don’t understand will roll off and be understood in a later conversation. Again, you don’t have to go into every detail but be prepared to do so later. Sex education is about lots of little conversations.

7. I don’t know whether to use the correct names for private body parts (or not).

We call an arm – ‘an arm’ – and a nose – ‘a nose’, so it makes sense to call a penis or vulva by the correct name as well. By doing this, we normalise these words and parts of the body. By using correct words, we also provide kids with a vocabulary they can use in any situation.

For example, if they tell their teacher that someone made them eat his sausage (penis) at lunchtime, the teacher is likely to interpret this as a silly prank instead of ‘unhealthy’ sexual behaviour. Using correct words helps kids to talk about these parts of their body and to be safe.

And remember – the trend now is to say ‘vulva’ and not ‘vagina’. The vagina is the inside part – whereas the vulva refers to the outside.

If you are worried about your kids using these words inappropriately, just explain that they are private words and that we use them properly.

If you need a little bit of help with talking to your child about their body in a shame-free way, then The Parents’ Guide to Private Parts, can get you started. 

8. Talking will give them permission to be sexually active.

No. Talking about sex and relationships with your kids won’t make them go out and act out sexually. Just the opposite is true. By withholding this information, your child will find it from other sources. One of those sources could include experimentation.

By talking to your kids, you are providing them with factual information and sharing your family values about many sexual issues, such as contraception, sexual intercourse, relationships, etc.

You can read more in this article about the benefits of sex education.

9. My kids are too young.

Kids develop sexually from the day they are born – just as they develop physically, emotionally and socially. So sex education begins from a very young age when we first start to teach them the names of their body parts and the differences between girls and boys. (You can learn more in this article about what sex education is all about.)

We really only start talking about sex once they become interested in how babies are made (somewhere between 6-8 years of age). And then, it is just the basics that they are interested in.

And remember, if your child isn’t ready for it, they won’t have understood your words. It will have gone ‘in one ear and out the other’.

10. I’ve left it too late.

It is better to be late than to never talk with your kids about sex and relationships.

The best way to deal with this one is by being upfront. Tell your kids that you realise that you haven’t talked about sex and relationships but that you want to change that. Let them know that you want to be able to talk with them about sex and growing up and that they can talk to you about anything.

Or, if you don’t feel that you can do that, you could look at buying some books on sex education and use them as an opportunity to start talking.

And as they say, you are better late than never!

11. My kids don’t want to hear this from me.

The fact is, yes, kids want to learn about sex and sexuality in a place that is safe and familiar. They want to learn from their parents, whose views and opinions they trust and value, whether they say so or not.

If you don’t believe me, you can find some research supporting this here!

12. It’s a talk that happens at puberty.

Traditionally parents have approached sex education by having the one ‘big talk’ as their child heads towards puberty. Research shows that many little talks beat one big talk any day. And those talks need to be part of everyday conversation.

13. My kids will pick up what they need to know.

Yes, kids pick up lots of messages about sexuality by observing their parents, talking with their friends and watching television, movies and other media. The problem is, though, that you end up having very little control over what they learn and the sexual values that they develop.

14. They’ll learn this at school.

Although kids first start learning about sexuality in the home, they are exposed to other sources of information as soon as they begin to venture outside the family home.

Not speaking with your kids about sex means that you will have little control over what and how they learn about sex.

As a parent, you should not rely on the school system to teach sex education. Depending on where you live, sex education may not even be available. If your kids are taught sex education at school, you need to make sure that you talk about it afterwards. Ask them what they learned.

Teachers of sex education say they can tell which students have had the benefit of home-based discussions as they are more confident, less giggly, and have more seriously informed views and values.

15. I don’t know enough about sex.

It can be easier to talk with your kids about sex and relationships if you’re confident that you know the subject matter. Before you answer your kids’ questions, ensure your questions have been answered first. If you’re not entirely comfortable having a conversation about puberty, practice what you want to say first or look for help. Let your kids know it may be a little uncomfortable to discuss, but it’s an important talk.

16. I can’t talk because my younger kids are always around.

Many parents worry about younger kids overhearing information they aren’t ready for. That can happen, but it isn’t usually a problem when you take an everyday approach to sex education. You talk as naturally as if you were talking about where milk comes from.

So, if younger kids are hanging around when your eldest asks you a ‘birds and bees’ question or you see an opportunity for a teachable moment, it is okay just to answer it. The amount of detail you provide in your answer is up to you. You can always give a simple explanation and follow up with more information when you are alone.

And if you feel that your answer isn’t age-appropriate for little ones, then just let your child know that you will get back to them later with a reply.

And remember, if a child isn’t interested in a particular subject, they will forget whatever it is that you are saying, ie it will go in one ear and out the other. So don’t get too concerned about them remembering stuff.

Sometimes though, you need to be careful about what you say in front of younger children when you explain the birds and bees.

If you have a child who is reaching puberty and they are feeling shy or embarrassed about the changes that are happening to them, it is a good idea to respect that. For example, you might want to read a puberty book alone in their bedroom or when your younger kids are distracted doing something else. As kids get older, they can become a lot shyer about their body changing. So, they may be uncomfortable talking about birds and bees or their newly sprouting pubic hair at the dinner table.

You may want to talk to an older child about a difficult topic that may scare your younger child. For example, you may want to talk about ‘stranger danger’ after a recent case of sexual abuse in your neighbourhood, and you want to talk about why it isn’t safe for children to go into public toilets alone. An older child will understand your reasoning as to why they can’t, but for a younger child, telling them that sometimes people do bad things to kids in public toilets may make them frightened about going to all public toilets, even when supervised.

If you feel uncomfortable discussing a particular topic, don’t talk about it in front of a younger child. Sometimes it is better to prepare your answer than to just jump in with an answer. Take it easy and have that conversation just with the child for whom it is intended. You don’t always need the added stress of worrying about what words to use when talking in front of younger kids.

So, what’s stopping you?

So, did any of those reasons feel familiar? Have you heard any of these myths and facts about sex before?

Hopefully, this post has answered some of the questions and concerns that you may have about sex education.

Happy talking!
❤️ Cath

More sex education resources