KIDS & THE BIRDS AND THE BEES—A MODERN MINEFIELD
There has been plenty of debate about the sexualisation of children in recent times- and judging by some of the questions Australian children are now asking about sex,
parents have their hands full.
To help parents deal with this modern-day minefield, Gaye Dell and Lyndall Caldwell got together and created 500+ QuestionsKids Have About Sex; written in a way kids will understand. It was designed and illustrated by Gaye Dell and written with assistance from the Interrelate School Services Team.
Mums and Dads are the first stop when it comes to these questions, but this book is next; parents will no doubt find it an invaluable resource as well.
500+ Questions Kids Have about Sex talks about:
- body parts
- puberty
- periods
- wet dreams
- relationships
- sexual intercourse
- having a baby
- masturbation
- homosexuality
- looking after yourself
- other stuff
Examples of some of the questions:
Kid’s Q: How big can breasts get?
A: Just like the other parts of the body parts, sizes can be quite different from one person to another, but there is a limit to how big breasts can get.
The largest recorded breasts weighed 12.7 kg each! Large breasts can create a lot of strain on the neck and back muscles and can make some physical tasks quite difficult. Not every woman grows big breasts. One good thing to know though, is that if a woman chooses to breast feed her baby, she can be successful no matter what size her breasts are.
Kid’s Q: What are blue balls?
A: They are testicles that get sore because they have been excited/ stimulated for a while.
“Balls” is a slang word for testicles. Sometimes they ache or hurt, especially if a man is sexually aroused and he does not ejaculate for a long time. Some people call this ‘blue balls’.
Kid’s Q: How long does pubic hair grow?
A: It usually stays fairly short, but…read on.
Pubic hair usually only lasts for 6 to 8 months and then falls out. Not at the same time though! Because of this replacement, pubic hair usually stays short. The longest pubic hair recorded was when a 19th century midwife reported a woman she had visited had pubic hair that had grown longer than her knees so she had plaited it and tied it up between her legs. This is very unusual though so don’t stress about it.
Kid’s Q: How many times can you get a wet dream?
A: It varies a lot.
Some boys have lots of wet dreams at night while other boys have hardly any. It is not a measure of how many sperm are being made; it’s just the body’s way of practicing and getting rid of the excess sperm and/or semen.
Kid’s Q: How do the sperm get out if the man is a virgin?
A: Sperm come out in wet dreams or through masturbation whether a man is a virgin or not.
If sperm are not used for sexual intercourse, it can leave the penis in a wet dream, or when a boy masturbates. Most just die off and dissolve in the testicles. A virgin is someone who has not had sexual intercourse (sex) and the sperm can come out without having sex.
Other Kids’ Questions include:
- Why do guys have nipples?
- Why do girls get moody when they have their periods?
- Why do ladies get breast implants?
- What does an orgasm feel like?
- Is it possible to have a sex change? How?
- How do 2 gay people get babies?
- Do most people use Viagra?
- Is it OK to be a lesbian because I am?
- Are there side effects to masturbation?
- What happens if your penis gets stuck in the girls’ vagina?
- How long does it take to get horny during sex?
- If you have only 1 testicle, do you produce half as much sperm
- I’m crazy about a boy and want a baby. What should I do?
- How often are we supposed to get periods, because I get 2 a day.
- Can you tell if someone has had sex by looking at them. If so, how?
500+ Questions Kids have about Sex is supported by fun illustrations and some of the actual handwritten questions from children.
It has a glossary of terms and also a section where families can record names of the ‘trusted adults’ in their lives.
The other books in the series are:
400+ Questions Kids have about Relationships and 100+ Answers About Puberty.
500+ Questions Kids Have About Sex is displayed with permission from
Interrelate Family Centres. For sales and/or information regarding this resource,
please contact Interrelate Family Centres.