FINAL TSTO Lesa Dec 14.pdf - Flipbook - Page 40
Of course discomfort can be felt by the kids as much as by the adults, especially
when fathers try to talk to their daughters. If a father can see that his daughter
is uncomfortable talking with him about bras and periods then he doesn’t have
to push on regardless. But it might not hurt to acknowledge your discomfort too.
‘I’m not sure what to say, but I think it is really important that we can talk about it.
When I was a boy the only thing I knew about girls was …’
Boys and girls benefit from
women and men taking part
in this aspect of their
education.
So here are some strategies that other fathers have used:
Start when the children are really young so that you get used to it.
Pick the bits that you do feel comfortable talking about and find books
websites, forums and online resources for the bits that you don’t.
If you are a single parent of a daughter who feels uncomfortable talking with
you, together you might decide on a female adult to go to with questions.
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We haven’t made it an issue. So it’s just
information, and it’s there to be asked,
and [my attitude is] I’ll tell you, to the
best of my knowledge. If not, I’ll find out
for you and then we can work through it.
—Parent of 6 and 8 year olds
(girl and boy)
I feel really honoured that she is able to
come to me with this.
—Parent of 17 year old girl
My son is 10 and he doesn’t ask
questions, but my husband won’t even
go there. His parents were never open.
They were very shy about their bodies,
and everything else. My family was
very open; I could talk to my Dad about
anything at any time. So I’m the one
having to deal with it, and I’m thinking,
‘What do I say to my son? How do I
teach my son?’ I don’t know where to
start. He might be hearing things out
there from his mates and thinking, ‘Oh, I
can’t really tell Mum that.’
—Parent of 10 year old boy
