Ack! My 8 yr old boy just asked about sex
 

I have a girl so I've been through this with her, but now I'm dealing with it with my son. His dad's out of the picture and he's picking up the stupid playground chatter. The thing is, this is much weirder than it was with my other kid. I know he has heard stuff about it and I know I need to set him straight with real info but things have just taken a weird turn. :eek:

What sort of weird?

We got our daughter some child friendly science books and now she explains it all to people in the playground...

Besides the generic advice which is swallow your awkwardness and trudge through this, leave no questions unanswered and ensure he comes to YOU first with more questions ... A bit more particulars would be in order ... ?

...and so it begins.

My son is almost ten and there's at least one point in a week where he amazes me with how much he knows about sex or puberty. No matter what, I know he's going to hear the playground chatter. So, when he asks me a question, I'm honest with him. If he doesn't get the answer from me, he may see if a friend knows, and that might not turn out to be the right answer. Don't get me wrong. I don't go deep into details, but I do tell him what he wants to know. If he uses a word in his question that would not be appropriate for him to say at school, I make sure to answer his question and then tell him the certain word is inappropriate for someone his age to use and that he would get in trouble next time he uses it.

I really haven't had any issues as of yet. I'm a firm believer in honesty and keeping our relationship open to where he can ask me those questions. Ask me again in a couple of years though...

I can well commiserate with your dilemma. It's hard. Especially when it seems that it was only last week that he was on the floor, wearing Mickey Mouse ears, coloring in his coloring book, while watching the Wiggles on the Disney Channel. (why didn't I get a picture of that?) Mine started asking "questions" at 6. I'm like..."WHAT!?!?". But, I remember playing my first game of "you show me yours and I'll show you mine" at that same age. So...yeah...I had to man up and give him "The Talk". And here I thought that changing runny diarreah poop diapers was hard.

My first ammendment's best friend has a step sister that is the same age, and in the same classroom, as the two boys. My boy is crushing on this girl something fierce. Apparently, the feeling is mutual. Best-friend's mom caught step-sister and first ammendment with thier pants down. Mom, fortunately, has common sense and didn't make a big deal of it, but did tell them to pull up thier pants. Time for a refresher course, I guess. Right now, he's only interested in her underwear and not what's underneath. But, that, I'm sure, will change before I know it.

One thing that does kind of concern me though is that he says that this girl is "hot". I correct him by that ****** is "pretty"...not hot. I may be old fashioned (who am I kidding? I am old fashioned), but I don't feel that it's appropriate for 7 year olds to refer to each other as...hot. Maybe this is where he is going to be disadvantaged over having a 47 year old father, I don't know.

Ha ha ha ha 7 year olds calling each other hot. Holy crap.

I don't get the big deal with "the talk" though. Just explain how it works. What is there to "ack!" about? I don't get how people find it uncomfortable or weird to talk about it with their kids.

heh, Bill, I should not be a parent, I would have slaughtered the children and served them up for dinner over the next course of days to serve as an example had it been me!

I remember having and older sister who told me everything, and how awesome that was. When the kids on the playground were shrieking about cooties I was sizeing the boys up for potential life partners(oh yeah, I was 7 *rolls eyes*) But I did have someone older who would explain things to me, She wasn't a parent or ana unt or anything. But I would ask and she would tell, or she'd just slip in information here and there. It was useful. It's good for younger people to know about sex. The sooner we educate them on the truth, the less chance they have at becoming parents or getting an STI in highschool. I know it's hard, but maybe see if you can find some educational books to give to him?

Just show him the Porky's Trilogy and he's set for life.

Seriously, I'm never having kids, so I don't know how I'd react, but I'd like to think I'd handle it with creativity, sensitivity and practicality. Along with a bit of nervousness. ;)

Btw, I remember being 4 and feeling myself while watching an Annette Funicello beach movie.

So, it happens to youngsters more than you'd like to think.


Hmm, I wonder if my brother and sister need help talking to their kids...

Aim for the hole!! Aim for the hole!!


/aren't you glad I don't have kids?

Buy this book and read the sections that answer his questions with him. Encourage him to read the rest on his own.