The Birds & The Bees

Talking about ‘the birds and the bees’ with your kids has never been easy for any generation, but it has also never been as important to do as it is today. If you don’t talk about ‘the birds and the bees’ with your kids, the internet will. In the internet version, the birds and the bees have an orgy and they record it. Then one of the birds posts the video on an inter-species revenge porn site and as a result, one of the bees can’t get into the college of her choice. In other words, your kids are learning about sex whether or not they get comprehensive sexuality education at school, whether or not their friends are abstinent or sexually active, and whether or not you have had ‘the talk’.

So what’s a parent to do? Well, for starters you can attend my Straight Talk Parent Series workshop (Adolescents, Sex, and Porn: Everything You Wish You Didn’t Need to Know) on January 21st from 7-9pm in the library at Mount Nittany Middle School. You will learn about today’s sexual youth culture as well as equip yourself with the tools to ignite an ongoing discussion about sexuality with your kids. Here is what we will be up to:

• I’ll give an overview of the pornography industry, revenge porn, and amateur porn, how pornography has changed since high-speed internet, and how pornography is marketed to minors.
• You will learn about our sexualized culture, what the ‘new normal’ is and what we should and should not be concerned about. 
• We will discuss how teens use pornography and other sexual media on their computers, tablets, and smart phones. I will then provide you with research on how internet pornography use affects physiological and psychological development.
• I will provide you with a list of social media sites and apps that teens use to build their “web presence”, exchange sexual content with each other, and connect with new teens as well as new adults.
• You will then learn how to monitor their cyber-activity as well as be able to identify what you are comfortable with your kids having access to, so you can modify your monitoring to whatever degree you'd like. 
• You will learn how to listen, so your child will talk to you about sex! That’s right. It is more important (and beneficial for your child’s health) for you to become an approachable parent rather than become the expert sex lecturer.
• You will learn how to approach sexual conversations and integrate those conversations into everyday life. 
• You will learn how to foster healthy sexuality and instill your family’s sexual values to prepare your children for the inevitable sexual aspect of their current or future lives.

This may seem like a daunting task, but with new knowledge and a little bit of practice, you will be able to connect with your children and help them develop into sexually competent people. In honor of this workshop, I’ll be dedicating the next several posts to discussion of tips for parents to talk with their kids about sexuality and pornography. I hope to see you on January 21st! 

Photo Source: Dollar Photo Club