{"id":9076,"date":"2021-09-13T18:19:00","date_gmt":"2021-09-13T18:19:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/?post_type=cde-knowledge-base&p=9076"},"modified":"2026-02-27T07:06:10","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T12:06:10","slug":"exploring-sexuality","status":"publish","type":"cde-knowledge-base","link":"https:\/\/esperanzaunited.org\/en\/knowledge-base\/our-community-says-no-mas\/exploring-sexuality\/","title":{"rendered":"Exploring sexuality"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Exploring our sexuality<\/strong><\/h3>

Understand that it is natural for your children to touch themselves<\/b><\/h4>

Take off the \u201cadult glasses,\u201d consider what the behavior means to the child, and what the impacts of your response might be. Teach them this is private behavior; if the child is touching his or her genitals in public, make sure your child is aware of the behavior; acknowledge that it feels good but that it is to be done in private, and help the child identify \u201cpublic\u201d and \u201cprivate\u201d spaces. If your beliefs prohibit you from talking to your child about this, consult with your faith leader or elders about how to teach your kids healthy sexuality in a way that is consistent with your faith or cultural values.<\/span><\/p>

Check in with your older children<\/b><\/h4>

Puberty brings a collection of physical, mental, and emotional changes that challenge young people (and their parents or adult caregivers) to varying degrees. You can reassure young people experiencing dramatic changes \u2013 menstruation, wet dreams, changing body shapes, body hair, etc. \u2013 by letting them know these changes are normal. Sometimes, it can be helpful to talk about your own experiences at the same age. Part of the conversation can center around the sexual feelings that often come at this stage of live \u2013 reassure your child that these feelings, too, are normal. Remember to let your children know that their individual experiences fall within the range of normal \u2013 many worry about entering puberty earlier or later than their peers, if they should be masturbating or masturbate too much, why they feel so emotional, why they don\u2019t care about love or sex even though it seems that\u2019s all their friends think about, etc. There is no one \u201cright\u201d way to experience these kinds of changes.<\/span><\/p>

You can also help anticipate what can happen. For example, if your child begins dating, talk through important topics such as sexual behavior, open and honest communication, and making healthy decisions based on negotiation. This will help your child prepare.<\/span><\/p>

Talk to all young people about the range of subjects included in sexual health<\/b><\/h4>

All sexually-active people are at risk for sexually transmitted infections, of course (and so condoms and other preventive measures are important to discuss). Also:<\/span><\/p>