What if we educate our children using the proper names to delight in a child’s curiosity in their own body? And teach our child the difference between their private body parts and public body parts? Shaking hands is public; bathing is private. And instruct a child to use proper conversation about body parts? Talking with your mum and dad at home about private parts is appropriate, the same talk at Nana’s Sunday dinner is not. What if we educate our children that our private parts are to be shared only with a special person when we are adults? When we love that person very much and can be responsible for children that might be the result of intercourse?

Elaine Pountney is a mother and grandmother who lives in Canada and leads workshops in Africa helping parents from a very different culture tackle a taboo. Subscribe to Families First to read the full article, or tell us what you think about Elaine’s article via comments below.