If there is one thing that has been in the news lately, it is boys and sex.

The focus has been on violence and men behaving badly, right? Well, as a parent how do you combat that? How do you teach your own son to do better?  It starts by talking about sex and that conversation needs to happen earlier than you would expect.

Today we are talking to Kori Wilford, a public health educator with the Larimer County Department of Health, on how to raise sexually healthy boys and how to initiate that conversation early and often.

From the definition of sexual health, to today’s research, to what to teach at all ages, this episode is not only fascinating but filled with great information and practical tips on how to tackle this conversation no matter how old your child is.

Things I never knew until this interview:

* Sexual Health is like skin care, it’s never too early or too late to start
* Research shows that a comprehensive approach to sex education delays your child’s first sexual experience
* Young children who can properly name body parts are less likely to be perpetrated against
* Your child will come to you with questions if they haven’t already learned that questions are not okay
* You can teach about your family’s values while also teaching about sex
* If you decide to pick up a book for your child read it first (but maybe not on a plane, because that is when I decided to preview The What’s Happening to My Body: Book for Boys and while I LOVE this book, I’m not sure my fellow passengers were prepared for the diagrams)

Recommended Resources:

* It’s Perfectly Normal by Robie Harris
* What’s the Big Secret?: Talking about Sex with Girls and Boys by Laurie Krasny Brown
* What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys by Lynda Madaras
* Advocates for Youth Parent Sex Ed Center

Timestamps

* The Definition of Sexual Health (8:35)
* Sex Education research today (9:36)
* Comprehensive Approach Vs. Sexual Avoidance (11:14)
* What’s Different Today (12:52)
* Sex Ed at Different Ages (16:19)
* Infants and Toddlers (17:01)
* Preschool Aged Kids (18:58)
* Elementary School (27:40)
* The Start of Puberty (33:52)
* Middle School (35:30)
* Teaching Your Families Values (39:41)
* Learning Your Child is LGBTQ (42:13)
* High School (44:08)
* The Dos and Don’ts of Answering Questions (48:11)
* Resources (51:20)