The Danes speak frankly with their kids about sex from a young age, and maybe you should, too. Learning the proper words to use when referring to their bodies "promotes positive body image, self confidence, and parent-child communication."
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Redditor Sara, whose parents immigrated to the US from Denmark, can't imagine learning about sex any other way. “My parents were always completely open with me about sex,” she wrote on Reddit. “When I asked where babies come from, they told me in the most clinical and simple way you can tell a young child, and showed me a kids’ book which explained all about puberty and sex. [They] even showed a cartoon penis in three stages: about to penetrate, mid-penetration, and fully penetrating and ejaculating.”
Americans may be getting the message. Jessica Alexander was shocked when she first heard her husband read a Danish sex-ed book to their daughter, but soon came around. She's the co-author of The Danish Way of Parenting: A Guide to Raising the Happiest Kids in the World.
What do you think is the best way to teach kids about sex?
"My parents immigrated to America from Denmark, so I had a bit of a different upbringing than my peers," writes Sara, who was born in the US
“When I asked where babies come from they told me in the most clinical and simple way and showed me a kids book”
"I asked my parents if they had sex and they told me they did frequently, but only when I was asleep or out of the house"
"IMO one of the great sins American parents make is not being open about sex"
"I lost my virginity in my own bed with my parents' knowledge it was going to happen in advance"
"I'm in my late 20's now, no husband and no kids. But when/if I have kids I hope to raise them the same way I was raised"
"Looking back, I can’t imagine having been forced to lose my virginity in secret, with no counseling from my parents about what to expect"
