How much do you talk to your kids about sex and relationships?

[BreakOutTheKaraoke]

Just got thinking about this. In a new relationship, going today to go get on the pill and have a sexual health check so we can get cracking on with lots more of the good stuff My 11 year old DD has asked why I'm popping into town, and I made up an excuse. Just stopped and thought, why am I not telling her? Not, obviously, that I plan to spend a lot of time getting down to business! But would you mention about how it's good to get checked out before you start having sex?

For what it's worth, we are quite open, she knows about sex, and she knows that I was on the Depo injection for years in order not to get pregnant. She's a smart 11 year old, but this is my first relationship for a loooooong time, so this is unchartered territory!

I wouldn't be having that conversation with an 11yo, no. Relationships, yes. If your boyfriend is going to be around more and you'll be living as a family then that's an important subject. If she mentions fancying someone at school or other children talking about being boyfriend and girlfriend, that's a good discussion. But not the ins and outs of contraception just yet

My 11 year old dd knows about sex. She knows that you can take a pill to stop you having a baby but she doesn't know that sex is a recreational activity yet. She knows that it is how you make babies and has never really asked beyond that.
I have been in a relationship for 2 years and he now lives with us but it never occurred to me to discuss things like that with her. She is 11 she has plenty of time for the more intimate details of a relationship to become known to her. I have a friend and I feel that her dc know far too much about the grown up world. I am dad's parent not her friend and will discuss things very openly on an age appropriate manner when they happen but unless she asks the question I see no need for an explanation.

Oh good, I was beginning to think I was just being shy about it- sometimes it's awkward to talk about these things, obviously, and it's a hard subject to broach. We won't be living together any time soon, but she knows he's going to be around lots.

It just made me stop and think- I've told her about the need for condoms, that you can get diseases from unprotected sex, so maybe I should be leading by example. But I really, really didn't want to