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Parents and Caring Adults

There’s no better sex education resource for young people than a supportive parent or the caring adults in their life. But here’s the good news: You don’t need to be an expert! When questions arise, you mostly need to listen, stay open, and help them find resources about the topics they bring up.

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Hot topics...

PPMM Education asked parents and caring adults: What topics would you like to learn more about to help you talk to youth about sexual health? And this guide covers the top topics they listed!

Whether the kids in your life are middle schoolers, teens, or young adults, you can use the following tips and resources to navigate conversations to help the youth build skills to be healthy, safe, and self-advocating.

Body Changes & Puberty

  1. Start the conversation at any age! (Talk With Your Kids)
  2. Share this youth friendly guide about puberty. (Amaze)
  3. Provide medically accurate, inclusive info about their changing bodies. (PPFA)
  4. Practice active listening. Before you jump in with advice, remember the W.A.I.T. rule, which stands for: Why am I talking? (Power to Decide)

Friends & Relationships

  1. Talk with middle schoolers about friendships and respect. (PPFA)
  2. Talk with teens about healthy relationships. (PPFA)
  3. Make it fun! Play (healthy relationship) bingo together.(PPFA)
  4. Use screen time to your advantage—talk about TV storylines related to sex ed topics friends.(PPFA)

Online Safety

  1. Share safety tips based on age.(PPFA)
  2. Learn about self-image and social media.(AMAZE)

 

Consent

  1. Define consent for youth (Safe Secure Kids)
  2. Define sexual consent for teens and young adults.(PPFA)
  3. Talk about consent at every age.(PPFA)

 

Gender & Sexuality

  1. Explore how to support youth based on age or topic. (PPFA)
  2. Learn ways to talk to your kids about gender. (PPFA)
  3. Create a script in Spanish or English to answer questions!(Kids Ask)

Safer Sex & Health Care

FYI: Most teens say their parents and caregivers are their biggest influence when it comes to making decisions about sex. Even if you don’t believe your teen should be having sex, talking with them about consent, birth control, condoms, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) prevention, and pregnancy prevention can delay the onset of sexual activity. Check out these resources to help you answer their questions or point them to medically accurate, inclusive info:

  1. Share the FYI on STIs. (PPFA)
  2. Know the facts about birth control. (PPFA)
  3. Answer their questions about pregnancy and reproduction. (PPFA)
  4. Share what to except during a wellness visit. (PPFA)
  5. Explore how to talk about mental health, too. (Child Mind Institute)
  6. Share this evidence-based short film (Plan A) with older teens ages 16-19. After watching Plan A, Sentient Research data shows that young people:
    • Know more about contraceptives and the risks of HIV/STIs
    • Have a lower frequency of unprotected sex
    • Increased long-acting reversible contraception use
    • Increased rate of getting tested for STIs
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This publication was made possible by Grant Number TP1AH000268 from the HHS Office of Population Affairs. Contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Department of Health and Human Services or the Office of Population Affairs.

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