Community Ambassadors

The community ambassador would like to invite you all of our upcoming parent talk session on 7/31/14 at 6:00 pm. The session will be at 1960 1st avenue. We hope to see you all there Bring a friend

When Should I Start Talking to my Kids About Sexuality? Some of us plan the talk for months, expecting to say everything important all at once. Then, when the talk doesn’t go as planned, we get frustrated. But talking with children about sexuality is a lifelong conversation. Doing a little bit at a time helps set realistic goals when we talk with our children. It also helps keep children from feeling overwhelmed. It’s best to start talking with children about sexuality ea...rly. Children are curious about their bodies, being a boy or girl, and different kinds of relationships from a very early age. Their curiosity creates a natural opportunity to begin the conversation and start building a respectful and trusting relationship. For young children, you can start by teaching them the names of their body parts or asking if they know why girls and boys look different. When we talk to our children about sex, it’s important to keep our conversation age appropriate. If a five-year-old asks, what is birth? we might respond, when a baby comes out of a mother’s body. If a 10-year-old asks the same question, our answer would have more detail and might begin with, After nine months of growing inside its mother’s uterus, a baby comes out through her vagina Providing young people with information that is age-appropriate makes it easier for them to understand that sex is a natural part of human and emotional development. It also makes it easier to talk with them about the more complicated aspects of sexual intimacy as they get older. Don’t worry if you haven’t started talking with your children about sexuality yet. It’s never too late. Just don’t try to catch up all at once. The most important thing is to be open and available whenever a child wants to talk. - See more at: http://www.plannedparenthood.org//talking-to-kids-about-se

How do I know when you are ready to have sex for the first time ? You and only you get to decide when you're ready to have sex. It's helpful to talk about your decision with your parents or an adult you trust. It's important to think about how having sex fits in with your health, values, school and career goals, relationships with others, and your feelings about yourself. Only you can know the answer to that question. Deciding when to have sex for the first time is a big... deal, and it can be a tough decision. It's really helpful to talk it out with someone you trust a parent, a friend, a health care provider, or someone else who cares about you. Sex can be risky for your body STDs and unintended pregnancy are no joke. But sex can also have emotional risks. Sex before you're ready for it, sex with someone you don't trust or respect (or who doesn't trust or respect you), or sex that doesn't feel good can lead to some really stressful feelings. And a healthy sex life shouldn't be stressful. We usually make better decisions when we think through all the good things and bad things. A great sex life is one that fits in with everything you're about, including: your personal values your school and career goals the emotional and physical risks you're willing to take if it's something you really want to do, or something your partner is pressuring you to do what sort of relationship you want to have with the person you have sex with (and how well that matches the relationship they want with you) whether family and friends will support your decision (and how important that is to you) your feelings about who you are and what you're comfortable doing whether you want to be in a committed relationship before you have sex. See more at: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/teens/sex/am-i-ready

How Can I Start Talking to my Kids About Sexuality? Everyday life provides lots of opportunities for talking about sexuality. When watching a TV show that shows a young person going through puberty or going out on a date, seeing an ad that prompts thoughts about body acceptance, or running into a pregnant neighbor, we can use that to initiate conversations with our children. These teachable moments occur every day, and can help make the conversation easier and more natural. - See more at: http://www.plannedparenthood.org