Until the radical conservative movement’s harm to the comprehensive sexual education systems in our schools can be undone, parents are left to deal with teaching their teens. The fact that kids have little or no interest in speaking with their parents about sex is nothing new, and can become a serious barrier to filling the void left by inadequate education in schools.

In all of the following scenarios, parents need to do some research of their own. It is best to know what the current risks are for teens – like which STI’s are most common amongst teens. Although it may be tempting to consider restricting knowledge on certain topics, this isn’t a good idea. That is the primary problem with abstinence-only education. Following are a few suggestions on how to teach teens about sex.

Sex-ed “groups” - This is one that I’ve personally been involved with for some time now. Essentially, a group of adult friends and/or family with pre-teen and teenage kids get together and assign “teachers” for their kids. All the adults involved agree to help the others by having “the talk” with their respective kids. Ground rules must be made, including what parents shouldn’t ask of the adults who are talking to the kids.

Health professionals - This goes back a long way, and was often the method of choice for parents in the 1950’s. Today, parents can expect a much higher quality of information, but may have a hard time finding someone who is willing to give the talk.

Kid’s choice - Nearly the same as the first suggestion, the only difference is that the parents approach an adult based on what the kid says. This suggestion should also be used in conjunction with the first one; since the goal is to have the kids talking to adults they trust.

Regardless of which way one chooses to go, it is important that the adults who agree to talk with the kids understand that it’s not a “one shot deal.” Schools used to spend months, sometimes years, teaching this material to kids, and often they’d still have unanswered questions. The goal is to leave kids with the option to speak with adults about sensitive subjects that are difficult for them to broach with their parents. Choose a “teacher” well, and your kids will end up with another adult to approach when confused or in need of help in not just intimate relationships, but also in life.