The Talk Before It Is Needed

Where to start

• Start talking about puberty early, briefly and in passing, before it’s urgent.
• Use what comes up: the bra on the washing line, a cousin’s deeper voice.
• Aim for eighteen short conversations, not one big one.
• Start talking about puberty early, briefly and in passing, long before anyone in the family has an urgent reason to. When a seven-year-old asks why their older cousin’s voice sounds different, answer them then and there. Do the same when an eight-year-old comments on the bra on the washing line: “Yes, that’s what bodies do as they get older. It happens to everyone. We can talk about it more if you want.” Then move on to something else. Your child has the information, and knows it’s a subject the family doesn’t flinch at.

The rest of the tip, and why it works, is in the library.

Source

Brook, parents’ guide to relationships and sex education at home, including talking before puberty

It goes with

• The Conversations Parents Avoid. For parents who need to tell their child something hard and don’t know how to start.

The first chapter you open here is free to read in full.

Free on this subject

• Difficult conversations. What to do first, what helps, and who else can help. Free to read and to print.
• Child development. What to do first, what helps, and who else can help. Free to read and to print.