Visit your religious institution s library for guidance on sexuality. Your community school may offer classes for parents struggling to help their children learn about sexuality. Your family doctor is another good resource. If his or her values about sex match your own, your child will always have a knowledgeable guide for information and help. When young patients visit Dr. Johnson to get birth control pills, she tells them, I think your mother would be supportive, so talk to her.
Teens often seek out adults other than their parents to discuss sensitive matters like sex.
Don t feel rejected, Ms. Huberman advises. Instead, encourage your teen to talk with those people. Kids reluctance to confide in their parents has less to do with fear than with tarnishing Mom or Dad s image of them. It s never too late to open the door to communication. If you haven t talked about these issues, Ms. Huberman advises, start today.