Children do their learning from other people. They have yet to build experience or make their own judgments. Instead, they rely on teachers and parents to show them the way. When you become a parent, you take on more responsibility than you realize. School may take care of the educational stuff, but you will have to teach your kids everything else. From manners to self-care, it all falls on you. Yet, it can be hard to know what essential knowledge your kids need. As with many issues when it comes to parenting, there are differing opinions. One thing that seems to divide parents most is what we should teach our children about their bodies.
For the most part, opposition to this particular subject comes from the issues that can arise from it. Many parents would argue that their kids don’t need to know about their bodies. After all, a focus on the subject could lead to problems. While this is true, no-one can deny that problems like childhood obesity are ever on the rise. Is that because we’ve stopped speaking about them? There’s no denying that there are some obvious risks to a focus on the subject. But, if you don’t talk to your children about how they treat their bodies, they could face serious issues down the line. Worse, they’ll have no idea how to cope with them! The answer, it seems, can be found in how we raise the issue.
First, you need to arm yourself with facts. Do your research. The more you know about the human body, the better understanding you’ll have of what to teach. Then, decide which areas you want to focus on. And, most importantly, decide how you’re going to speak about each. There’s no denying that you should act with caution here. A sensitive topic requires a delicate approach. Here are some of the subjects we think worth tackling, and some ideas about how best to do it.