Is he old enough to talk about sex? 2026

Sometimes it is the mother's pregnancy, which usually generates endless questions in children. Other times, the trigger is something they saw late and impressed them.

The truth is that children feel a natural curiosity to know their body and its functions, to appropriate it and recognize it and, sooner or later, they all begin to ask themselves specific questions related to sex: the anatomical differences between boys and girls, the body of mom and dad, the size of the genitals, their appearance, what they are for... are issues that arouse great interest in children.

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Sex is a thorny topic for parents. Many feel uncomfortable talking about such things; Others don't want to mislead their child... and end up giving them more information than necessary. It is true that, sometimes, the school takes on the task of offering children good sexual education, but the work that parents can do in this area is always very important.

The sexual education that is given to the child influences the way in which he will accept himself tomorrow, as a man or as a woman, in the way he assumes and cares for his body, in his treatment with the other sex and in the responsibility with which he will assume sexual and procreative relations.

When faced with the child's questions, we must take into account...

1. What worries you (really). The first step in educating children about sex is to listen carefully to their questions and guess their concerns. You often have to read between the lines, since many times they do not ask directly, but rather allude to parallel topics: why dogs smell each other, why women wear different clothes than men...

2. Where do your doubts come from? Children are playful and curious, but that's all. Childhood curiosity has little or nothing to do with the mischief of adults: let's not be wrong. Their doubts normally respond to information that comes from their environment (their mother's pregnancy, conversations with other children, movies, comments they hear at school...).

3. How far do you want to know? Let's help you define and formulate your doubts well. For example: "Do you want to know why that girl and that boy are holding hands and kissing?" What you want to know is what it means to be a couple. Later we will find out if your interest goes further, if you want to know when you can have a boyfriend, the difference between boyfriends and friends, etc.

4. The stage he is in. To know what really worries him and how to clear his doubts, we must take into account our child's situation: his age, his concerns, his experiences or how he usually reacts to certain topics.

How to approach the issue and how much information to give you

1. Act naturally. Facing their questions with serenity and affection is key; If the child perceives silences and evasions, he will feel that he is raising bad issues that should not be talked about and will grow up with a distorted idea about facts that are natural.

And before avoiding an awkward question, it's best to speak openly: "I'm not sure I can explain what making love is to you now, so I'll give you a similar example that you can understand, and I'll tell you more later."

2. Dosage the explanations. You have to take into account the maturity of the child and how much information he already has. If he is one of those who is a little lost in these issues or seems like an immature child, let's be cautious.

It is better to stop short and have him ask again than to leave him worried about issues he cannot understand.

3. Use simple words. Your own language is the most appropriate to explain anything. When asking questions, we must call things by their name (penis, vagina, anus), although for day-to-day life we ​​can adopt more colloquial language, for example: "Inside the tail there is a little tube through which the pee passes until it comes out" or "We all have the same ass at the back, but the one at the front is different in girls than in boys."

4. Speak sincerely. That is, dispel fears and resolve doubts. But always respecting the child's ability to understand our message, we do not need to go into details.

By the way, children usually choose who they ask what, but both mom and dad can be excellent teachers and guide the curious little one. If one of you feels uncomfortable, it is better for the other to take charge.