The Talk. It’s not easy, but it’s necessary. So let’s talk about THE TALK. Plus we’ll share how it pays to be a good parent…with help from NTARUPT and TALK ABOUT IT DALLAS.
Never in a million years did I think I would be a second grade teacher…then on March 12, 2020 (yes, just a short but the longest eight weeks of my life), I somehow became a second grade teacher AND a sixth grade teacher all on the same day.
Lucky me. (sarcasm is heavy here, folks.)
But I’m not alone. If you have kids, you’re going through the same crazy chaos of “distance learning” while attempting to keep some type of normalcy amidst all the things that aren’t normal right now. But to be honest, as parents we have always been teachers from the moment that baby comes out of your body, you’re teaching. From your principles, life lessons and just to be a good, solid human being. Now is a little different because we’ve gotten used to sending them to school and someone else does the staples like math, STEM and whatever else they say our kids need to know to pass whatever test is required to move to the next grade.
However, as parents we’re still responsible for teaching the hard stuff – not the stuff that is just on school curriculums (although it should be.) Actually in Texas, the curriculum for sex education hasn’t changed in more than 22 years, although Texas is ranked #4 in the country in teen births, and #1 in repeat teen births. And to add insult to injury since 2007, there has been a 37% increase in HIV cases among youths aged 15-24 in Dallas County.
W-H-O-A.
Want another one that will make you gasp?
So the other day I made a list of all the fundamentals of life I felt were necessary for life. This was everything from making eggs, to writing / addressing a letter, and also having THE Talk. Of course when I told the kids they were enrolled in “Reo School” and what was on the curriculum, they weren’t excited when I used the S-E-X word. Not at all. My son, who is a budding teen himself could have died. But now since I put it down on paper, I was making a promise to them that I couldn’t put off – not just to them to be accountable to having the conversation, but me to actually do it. To be honest, that may have been the hardest part.
How you talk about sex and what is appropriate at what age is conditional on a lot of things. So first off, you’re not going to find a step-by-step here on what you should do…basically what I do for my family isn’t necessarily perfect for yours. Actually a little known fact about me is that I was a sex education teacher in college as a college student. My job was to talk to peers about making responsible decisions, basic understanding of STIs (sexually transmitted infections) and performed HIV testing. You’d be surprised that how many people, 18-24, would come in completely oblivious about STIs and basic premises of how to make good decisions. While it wasn’t easy talking sometimes to 3000+ incoming students at Freshman Orientation, I admit it’s still harder to look at your 11 year old and start breaking it down.
BUT YOU HAVE TO DO IT.
Thankfully there are resources that are able to help you in all kinds of ways – including classes if you want to involve your
NTARUPT (North Texas Alliance to Reduce Unintended Pregnancy in Teens) is an organization in North Texas committed to combining the community resources teens need in order to succeed. Ntarupt and its delivery partners offer evidence-based and medically accurate sexuality education to parents and teens and link clients to youth-friendly healthcare. Its community partners offer other resources teens need including after-school programming, counseling, mentoring, primary health care, and social services.
But NTARUPT knows that it’s still hard to have THE Talk and continue the job of educating your kids so its partnered with TALK ABOUT IT DALLAS to give both parents and teens a place to get the information and guides they need to make The Talk easier. There are tons of facts and even a guide to help you go through each topic like Pregnancy, Abstinence, Sexuality and more. Remember, it’s not one talk, but an ongoing conversation that is necessary to get the right information for your kids. I mean let’s be honest did your friends give you the right information growing up about pregnancy and sex?
No need to even go there.
But what NTARUPT and TALK ABOUT IT DALLAS have also done, especially this month since they know we’re spending more time than ever with our families and it’s SEX EDUCATION FOR ALL MONTH is to reward us all for engaging in THE TALK! So each week during the month of May on you’ll find conversation starters for parents and teens alike to comment on. And each comment becomes an entry to win a $100 Visa Gift Card.
So that’s not so bad, right? A chance to win some money and also make sure your kid receives the information they need to help them make good choices that will affect their life forever?
See? It does play to be a good parent.
So make time for the talk, head to TalkAboutItDallas for more information and Instagram.com/TalkAboutItDallas to enter to win $100 (or at least send your kid over there while they’re on their device anyway.)
It’s not easy to talk about important subjects sometimes but so necessary. Knowledge is power and from that we learn. Sounds like a great website.
Oh my gosh, those numbers are staggering. I know having THE TALK with my daughter was hard and kind of short. I wish I would have had these resources back then.
It is important that kids should have the talk, ideally in a sex education class, but with school’s closed I know that isn’t happening for the current class of kids in the target age group, I can imagine how difficult it must be to be a parent that has to step in for this talk.
I had to have the talk with my daughter last year when she was in 3rd grade because a classmate of hers told her some interesting things. I can’t believe those statistics you listed!
More our kids grow, more things are to talk about. The talk is the basis of everything and it’s important to talk a lot with your kid.
I think it is really important that parents explain sex to their kids while they are young, before they hit the curiosity age and try things they should not be doing.
So important to talk about these issues! I had no idea the numbers were so high! Thank you for sharing them!
I had “the talk” with my oldest when she was 10 or 11. It was the most awkward conversation I’ve ever had, but it opened up the lines of communication. Now that she’s 14, she has no problem asking me questions.