Create new positive possibilities in 2024
It’s nearly the start of a new school year for us Aussies and the beginning of 2024 for us all around the world, and that means that the possibilities for 2024 lay before us!
I just love this time of year when we can look forward to a new year and reflect and re-evaluate on the past.
So here are 5 things that can help you to create those positive possibilities with your kids about tough topics in 2024!
Know that the first conversation is often the hardest.
Have you heard the saying that there is a first time for everything? The first time your child learns to swim. The first time your child gets their period. The first time your child you notice they have started going through puberty.
It’s often the hardest when you start something new. It’s the same when having conversations about tough topics. But it will get easier. So just start….
Listen more than speak.
This is a constant learning curve for me, even though my kids are adults. Often, I just blurt out information that I want them to hear and talk at them when all they wanted was for me to listen.
Listening helps your child to feel understood, valued, and respected. If they don’t feel that talking to you met their emotional needs, it will be less likely that your child will talk or ask you questions in the future about sex.
Be aware that talking to your child about sex is a life-long conversation.
That means that you don’t have to know all of the answers and you can make mistakes (I’ve made 1000s of them) and that’s okay as you will have many more opportunities.
Therefore, it can be less of a pressure to get all of the information out in one go and also it means that you can answer what your child actually wants to know. I always sound like a broken record when I say this but…it’s impossible to have just one talk.
Don’t give up even when you mess up.
I am a parent of 3 adult children! Parenting is the best and hardest thing that I have ever done. Life is full of twists and turns, ups and downs – so you never stop being a parent -right?
There have been times when it comes to sexuality education in my family that it has not been positive and open, but there have been many times when we have laughed and chatted openly and honestly together. Often the opportunities to chat have arisen when I least expected. No one can do the job of a parent as well as you can.
Life-long conversations are exactly that, so never give up. Be empowered by knowing that research tells us that as parent, you have more influence on your child than anyone else (even if you think your child is not listening).
Be pro-active.
Parents often tell me that their child hasn’t asked any questions so therefore they are not ready to know about sex. With my 3 kids, one did not stop asking questions and the other two hardly ever asked me anything – but that didn’t mean that they weren’t ready. Don’t wait for your child to ask you questions, be pro-active. You never know where the conversations might go to next….
In the past, talking about sex within families has often been a negative topic. Saying things like …we’ll talk about that when you need to know, that’s disgusting, what a weird thing to say, I’m disappointed in you, I’m not talking about this until you are much older. Sex should be a positive part of being human but instead because it’s sometimes portrayed in a negative causing shame, taboo, and misinformation.
So, make 2024 a year of endless positive possibilities with your children.
Being a parent in this day and age is not easy, but I am really excited to be teaching, writing, learning, creating, educating, empowering but most of all connecting with you and your family around tough conversations about sexual health.
If you would like to make this happen then I am here to support you in any way that I can.
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