Talking about sex with your teenager doesn’t have to be weird.
I mean, yes, back in the day “the talk’ was an embarrassing rite of passage that kids and parents used to dread.
Kids these days are much more mature than my generation thanks to access to information.
If we’re not having open and honest conversations with our kids about sex, they’re going to do their own research.
I don’t trust the internet to make sure my teenager is educated about her sexual health.
How do you teach teenagers about sex?
Hopefully, you’ve already been having conversations about sex with your teen for years.
I firmly believe that sexual health is as important as learning to read or write.
When your child is young, you’ll start with age-appropriate conversations teaching them about their body parts, good touch / bad touch, and boundaries.
As they get older, the conversations will get more detailed and comprehensive.
Your teenager might ask you questions like, “How does an orgasm feel”, “What is consent,” or “What if I’m dating someone who wants to have sex and I don’t?”
It’s important for us as parents to be comfortable answering questions like that in a way that will make your teen feel safe talking to you when they’re unsure of something.
Educate your teen (and yourself) with sex ed books for teens
The culture around sex in society has changed a lot over the last few decades.
I’m in my forties and I’m still discovering new things about sex and my sexual health.
Also? I’m learning to reframe unhealthy (and often incorrect) opinions I’d had about sex, sexuality, and the like.
Reading books with updated discoveries about sex is the easiest way to make sure you and your teen have the most accurate sexual health education.
TikTok creators, bloggers, and other health influencers are an incredible resource. Still, I stand by books being the most trusted of all of those resources.
Make sure you read the sex education book with your teen or read it before you give it to them to be sure it’s appropriate for them.
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Best Sex Ed Books For Teens
If you Google “books to teach my teen about sex,” you’ll get thousands of great books all covering some aspect of sex education.
It’s overwhelming! That’s why I put together this list of books that cover just about every aspect of “the talk” you’ll have with your teen.
1. Doing It! Let’s Talk About Sex
Author Hannah Witton has written a thoughtful, honest, and engaging book about sex for teens and young adults.
I appreciate that Hannah’s approach is sex-positive in an age-appropriate way.
Look, teenagers are making out, hooking up, doing it. Pretending that it doesn’t happen and only educating about abstaining can do incredible harm to our children.
This book addresses the issues that are relevant to kids growing up today. It’s a must-read for parents and teens.
Click to purchase, Doing It! Let’s Talk About Sex.
2. consent.
A number of reviews for Dr. Jennifer Lang’s book, “Consent: The New Rules of Sex Education: Every Teen’s Guide to Healthy Sexual Relationships” mention how much teens like this book.
In order for information to stick, it’s important to have engaging learning material that resonates with your teen. Consent is that book.
You can expect to learn about human sexuality, relationships, dating, and other themes that help teens (or anyone, actually) to be empowered in their sexual health.
Click to purchase, “Consent: The New Rules of Sex Education: Every Teen’s Guide to Healthy Sexual Relationships.”
3. The Girls Guide to Sex Education
Youth sex expert, Michelle Hope’s book, “The Girls’ Guide to Sex Education: Over 100 Honest Answers to Urgent Questions about Puberty, Relationships, and Growing Up” is a comprehensive book with answers to most of the questions your teen will have about sex.
Now, I will be very honest about this book. Your teen will learn about masturbation and how to do it, read about the pull-out method, and some of the reviewers thought it was more appropriate for older teens.
I read it and shared some of it with my daughter. I am taking a little more time with some of the topics because they are a bit mature for where she is socially at the moment.
If you’d like to read this book for free, you can sign up for a one-month Kindle Unlimited trial. The book will be available for instant download.
Or, you can click to purchase “The Girls Guide To Education.”
Other Sex Education Books For Teenagers
If you’re looking for something a little different than these 3 books, I have good news.
There are so many thoughtful, inclusive, honest sex education books for teenagers being written by folks who really get teens.
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