Over 20% of parents won’t talk to their kids about sex: poll

Not every parent is talking “the talk.”

Now, more than 20% of adults in the US say they are not planning to have a conversation about the birds and the bees with their kids, new research says.

A recent survey revealed that 60% of American parents were raised thinking sex was “taboo,” which may affect how they approach the subject with their children.

2,000 parents of children aged five to 18 responded to a survey by OnePoll, which examined their views on sex, and how they talk t their children about it.

It found that 58% of respondents have already spoken to their children about sex, while 21% are planning on doing so in the future. 

About fifth of parents (21%) don’t plan to bring it up at all, while seven in 10 agree the sex talk should happen at an early age — or else social media will do it for them.

Still, one in four of them claimed to feel “awkward” about having those conversations with their kids,

26% said they’ll pass the buck to the other parent — the male parent, in a majority of cases (61%) — while 35% will leave sex education up to to the schools.

If some parents are reticent to have “the talk” with their kids, it may be because three in 10 of them had never broached the subject with their own parents while growing up — thought seven in 10 agreed they want to change that so their kids feel comfortable enough to talk about anything.

“For younger kids, this looks like knowing the correct names for all body parts,” said Dr. Sara Flowers, from the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, which commissioned the study.

“As kids grow up, they begin to understand what those body parts do,” Flowers told South West News Service — and recommended having several conversations about sex with kids, rather than just one.

“The most important thing to remember is what you want your kid to get out of the conversation with you,” Flowers said.

“For most parents and caregivers, we want our kids to feel comfortable coming to us with questions and feel confident that their questions will be met with support and honesty, not shame and judgment.”