Analysis: Talking to your child from an early stage is the key

Published on Thursday 28 October 2010 19:11

KNOWLEDGE is power and it is far better they get the proper information than the rather dodgy stuff young people can get from friends.

I've been quite lucky in that I've always been able to speak to my three lads, who are now grown-up, about pretty much anything and we've been fairly open about things like that.

They know they can come to me. It is really important right from an early age that they know they can.

However, it is very hard for some parents to talk about things like this but if you start talking to your children about all sorts of things from an early age, then it is just a natural process.

A lot of informing them isn't actually about the sexual act, it's about learning to be a confident person in yourself and your body and what you want to do with that. My lads did have some issues about women, but whenever they made comments about women on the telly, I always made sure they realised reality isn't always like television and they always had to respect women no matter what they looked like or who they were.

I know some young people hear the wrong things from friends and I'd rather they got the proper information, even if it's fairly basic, and that they got the proper information from school - then they know what is what. My boys were fairly unimpressed with the sex education they received at school because it is fairly patchy and depends on whether you have a teacher who is confident on talking about sexual health.

Its the same in primary schools and secondary schools.

• Eleanor Coner is Information Officer at the Scottish Parent Teacher Council.