As a parent of a teen and tween I have ‘done’ the parent talks, the talks about puberty, about sex and about friendship issues. However it is not always easy starting those conversations and it is easy to think that those conversations are covered by schools, teachers, friends and the media but it is so important that as parents that we take responsibility and have those chats too.
I have always talked to my children at age related levels and it seems to have worked. I have had a no secrets approach and always answered their questions as they arose.
Boots have launched a booklet that is available free in stores and is called the ‘Mum’s Guide’. I was invited to the Haymarket Hotel is celebrate the launch and chat it through with Nadia Sawalha, her daughter Maddie and Teenologist Sarah Newton. We chatted over cakes and shared how important it was to talk openly with our children. Many of the bloggers invited had not got to that stage yet and had younger children and I was able to share my experiences. The booklet offers some great tips for the experts and is perfect if you have a pre teen or early teen and are having the conversations.
My Top Tips for Starting the Conversation
- Find a quiet time when you are not rushed or likely to be interrupted. I have had some of the best conversations in the car whilst driving.
- Have some information to give them and share. The booklet is prefect for that as the teen may want to read it on their own afterwards.
- For girls be prepared with a range of sanitary products that are easily accessible incase your not there when they are first needed.
- Really listen to what is being said, don’t assume they know anything and everything.
To celebrate the launch in Boots of #TeenTalk I have a few goodies to give away to a reader. I have been gifted some sanitary products, facial wash ideal for teen skin and razors. This would make a great gifft to a teen and is another way to start the conversation.
To enter simply fill in the rafflecopter widget. UK only. Closing date 02/06/2016
105 Responses
At school and from my friends.
From school and my sister
from my mum and school
At school amongst friends
In school and home. I remember mum reading to book with me about it x
From my friends
At high school! I found it so embarrassing!
School and home
I dont think I did learn until it happened!
At school and from a book called ‘The Body Book’!
at school and from my nan !
Home
Books mainly.
I learned about everything at school, nothing from home at all. It seems a lot better now, more information available at fingertips for the young ones now but I still find my daughter coming back with some pretty strange ideas she’s heard at school so it’s good to chat lol x
I learnt it all from school mostly friends!
from my friends in year 6!
I learnt from a mixture of school and my mum
at home my mum gave me a book
magazines xx
at school i remember watching a old style video
A little from my Mum, my friends and school.
At school.
From my friends and the internet
School and friends
Through friends
I remember learning mostly at school and watching some dodgy videos there!! xx
from friends x
My mum and friends.
For my mum
FROM MY FRIENDS AND SCHOOL
At school
School and friends.
At school when the put the video on for us to watch. Thanks for the lovely giveaway.
Lessons at school but my mum also gave me a book to read
I cant really remember, think it just happened and I dealt with it
from school and my mum
my mum, when i was 11
at school
from school mates, my mum told me nothing
From school, my mum hated talking about personal things, she was very old fashioned. She didn’t let me use tampons because she thought it would encourage me to have sex!
At home and amongst friends at school . I remember drilling my mum with questions and she always answered them
I learnt all about it at school 🙂
from my mum
just seventeen and mizz borrowed from an older friend – my mum was incredibly prudish
From school and friends mostly.
My mum gave me this little booklet to read about becoming a woman
at school
My mum left a book on my bed with all the info in!
At school and relevant booklets and leaflets that I would read
I can’t really remember. We watched a video in school, but my mum had already gone through it all with me long before.
I learnt from my mum, and playground talk!!!
Magazines and my friends
From my mum, we always talked openly and honestly and I try to do that with my 4 children .x
School and judy blume books
my mum n school
I kind of worked it out for myself as I was a very early developer but in the first instance I asked questions of my mum and my teacher
Just school. I was raised by my nan who barely acknowledged my existence let alone engaged with my on a personal level lol
My mother told me what she thought I needed to know .
At school
From school and my mum
teen magazines and school
at school
I think at school :
At school and friends too
From school mostly, friends and my mum 🙂
Mainly from school & books
From school was never talked about at home
From my mum who said its natures way of turning you into a woman
In the school playground – then a few years later I had proper lessons at school
From my mum and sisters
At school from friends i was 8 years old
Mum & friends at school
I learnt about it at school with friends and we had time to ask questions which was very helpful
Having four girl, the talk was at anytime anywhere that we could get five minutes together alone lol, felt really sorry for my son, who is the youngest, house full of hormonal females lol
a combination between my Mum, my sister and school
my school
Mum and friends
School sex education.
At school and books
magazines and friends!
to be honest i can remember when i learnt / knew about it
From my mum
from mum and school friends
I was lucky my mum was quite down to earth in her own way and did explain the basics when the time was right but the rest i pick up at school with friends
At school and also from my mum
In the playground
At school
I learned from my friends at school. we did have a one off sex ed class at school too which kind of covered the subject 🙂
at boarding school–probably not the best place
At school and from my mum
from my aunt at about 13
School 🙂
i didn’t until it happened! my mum never spoke about that sort of stuff with me
my mum
When I started bleeding and my mother panicked and got my sister to tell me, thanks mum!
in J3 now known as year 6 of primary
oops meant year 5
Wgat a fab idea
Through friends and older sister.
Mum & school
At school and from my older cousins
my mum
I learnt puberty from my elder sisters
My lovely mother sat with me one night when tucking me into bed and told me all about how the woman’s body develops and even drew diagrams to help explain it to me.
at school and tv