FINAL TSTO Lesa Dec 14.pdf - Flipbook - Page 18
3. MILESTONES: What to Expect at
Different Ages and Stages
It is more common to hear parents swapping stories
about children’s first teeth and first steps than it is to
hear them discussing a child’s sexual development.
Be prepared: What are the values I want to share with my child?
If you are a parent or carer it can be useful to spend some time thinking
about what is important to you and how you might want to respond if these
values are challenged. Use the following questions to start a discussion with
your partner or other important adults in your child’s life to get a sense of the
degree to which your ideas are the same and what you might do. If you have
sole care of your child it is useful to think about some of these situations in
advance.
1. Your 5 year old sees two people having sex on television and asks you
what they are doing. How much do you want to tell them?
And when you have kids you assume
that you’re immediately going to know
what your values are. But it becomes
a lot greyer as you go along. And also,
because we’re so time poor, I don’t think
you sit and really assess what your values
are and then it all creeps up on you.
- Parent of 14 year old and 16 year old
daughters
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2. Your 14 year old has a new boyfriend who is 16.You are concerned that it
might be getting a bit ‘hot and heavy’. Should you interfere?
3. You have been brought up very strictly and have taught your children a
strong moral framework about sex, which you believe should be kept for
after marriage.You find a packet of condoms in your 17 year old son’s
jeans pocket. How do you deal with this?
