Tips for when it's time to have one of those trickier conversations
Children are growing up in an environment saturated with information through social media, streaming platforms, sexualised advertising, 24/7 news cycles, online gaming chats and more. Many young people encounter adult themes long before a parent or carer decides it’s “time” for the Birds and the Bees talk.
Children are now absorbing complex social phenomena, including gender identity discussions, consent language and body image pressures, while still developing the emotional maturity to process them. If adults wait for “the right moment”, that moment may have already passed.
Our approach is simple: stop having one big talk and start having many small ones.
Healthy relationship and sexuality education isn’t a single event; it’s an ongoing conversation that evolves with a child’s age and stage. Here are four simple approaches you can take to handle these trickier topics:
- Talk early and often
- Normalise these conversations
- Use teachable moments
- Stay calm when children come to you
Stopping the Birds and the Bees talk doesn’t mean avoiding difficult subjects, it means reframing them from a single, mortifying lecture to a culture of ongoing, age-appropriate dialogue, which will help children understand their bodies with pride, not embarrassment. It will build trust so they come to you before the internet, and equip them with the language to say yes, no, or I’m not sure.
Register your interest in joining a Tricky Talks program
Our Tricky Talks program guides children and their trusted adults to kickstart open, honest communication about the years ahead.
An engaging and interactive program, it encourages open dialogue about the reproductive system, foetal development including the birth process, puberty and the physical and emotional changes that come with it.
Safety, consent and protective behaviours are also covered, helping to develop a shared understanding of how to navigate this period of development together.
Benefits
Children and their trusted adults will:
- feel better connected thanks to shared learnings about the experience of puberty and the changes it brings
- be confident to have open and honest conversations, helping to develop a deep and trusted relationship
- see students empowered to keep safe and manage developmental changes confidently with the knowledge that they have the support of a trusted adult
Learning Outcomes
Learning outcomes of Tricky Talks include current and age-appropriate information about:
- individual and family differences
- correct names for body parts and their function
- keeping bodies safe
- physical development and emotional changes that occur through puberty
- conception, fertilisation, assisted reproduction and birth
- boundaries and safety in a relationship
- healthy and unhealthy relationships
If you're interested in participating in a Tricky Talks program online, register your interest below, and we will get in touch with more information when it becomes available.
If you'd like to encourage your child's school to host a Tricky Talk, they can book here.
