When is it 'too early' to talk about sexuality at home?

The answer is simple: never. It's never too early to start talking about sexuality with children. In fact, the sooner we do it, the better.

Part of the problem is that we often confuse sex education with educating about sex, when in reality sexuality is much broader. It includes knowledge of one's own body, emotions, self-esteem, boundaries, respect, communication, and relationships with others. Therefore, sex education begins long before any interest in sex arises.

When a young child touches their genitals or is curious about their body, they are not doing so from an erotic perspective. This interpretation is ours, as adults. Often it is our prejudices or discomforts that turn these situations into a taboo subject. Children, on the other hand, tend to experience them naturally until they perceive that adults imbue them with shame or nervousness.

That is why it is important to take advantage of the daily opportunities that arise: an unexpected question, a scene on television, a pregnancy in the family, or a conversation about the body. There is no need to sit down for a long lecture; sex education is built through small conversations adapted to each stage.

Despite this, some still think that talking about sexuality awakens premature interest in children or adolescents. Scientific research shows just the opposite. Well-designed sex education programs promote healthier decision-making, delay the onset of sexual relations, and increase the likelihood that, when they do occur, they will be experienced more safely and consciously.

The key idea is that sex education is never premature if it is adapted to the child's age and needs. Talking about it does not pervert, incite, or accelerate anything. What it does is offer tools so that boys and girls can grow up with more information, more security, and a healthier relationship with their bodies and their sexuality.