Meredith Carson... Across the Pond and Back Again...

Last night when I was telling my oldest daughter good night, she didn't even wait for me to sit down on her bed before she asked matter-of-factly, "Mom, what does F#%k mean?"  Yes, I am completely serious.  Can you imagine this word coming out of my sweet little nine-year-old's mouth? So what did I do?  Did I gasp and clutch my pearls?  Did I screech, "Where did you hear that word?!"  Did I go weak in the knees?  You bet your Granny's booty I did all of the above, but then I took a deep breath and remembered that I want my children to come to me with these questions .  And I took a moment and felt very grateful that she was asking me instead of someone else. Last night I did indeed discuss the f-word with my nine-year-old.  We talked about the fact that most "bad words" aren't actually about bad things.  I have heard some pretty horrible words used to describe certain parts of the human anatomy.  None of these body parts are bad, of ...

You asked for it, Shay... First of all, let me begin by saying that I am, by no means an expert on sex or sexual education, but I think I am off to a pretty decent start with my lot.  So here are a few of my tips listed for you handily in bulleted form (as requested). Forget about "the talk."  Children should have innumerable talks with their parents about sex starting as soon as they are old enough to have questions.  If you wait until little Johnny is thirteen to have "the talk," you will be far too late and far too embarrassed to effectively communicate.  Talking about sex will feel completely normal and natural if it is commonplace in your house from day one.  I have told my daughter Emma, "If you have questions, don't worry about saying something rude.  You're not going to say anything I haven't heard before.  Also, if you hear something from other kids that confuses you, please come and ask me or Dad.  We can surely give you more accu...