ABSTRACT
Attempts have been made to more clearly define parents' needs with respect to teaching their children about sex. Parents of younger children need to know more about the basics: anatomy, physiology, and sexual development. Parents of older children feel they need to know more about most things, including puberty issues, contraception, and teenage pregnancy. Parent sex education programs can be found throughout the country—in cities, suburbs, and rural communities. It has been difficult to fund programs, recruit participants, and maintain attendance for multiple-session courses. Parents still lack a basic understanding of child development—psychological as well as physical—and puzzle over their relationship with their child at different points in the child's life. Parents definitely need to learn about normal physical and psychological development throughout childhood so that they will know what to anticipate as their children grow and develop.
