Amaze-ing and Smart Sex Ed

One of the toughest stops along the parenting journey is talking about sex. A recent study found that teens really don't like it when school-based sex ed is taught by a teacher they will have in the future. They prefer for sex ed professionals to teach them then fade out of their lives. It seems fairly logical if you remember what it was like when you were 12 and your health teacher asked if you had any questions.

The study notes that teens were disappointed in sex ed programs that only focused on heterosexual relationships and said that humor is something they wished was included. Again, you're a 14 learning about sex, a pretty awkward subject even for adults. A little laughter would go a long way at putting you at ease. Also...kids who hear that sex is bad are less likely to plan for sex meaning that they won't use any protection against pregnancy and STIs.

Now most parents I know are supportive of comprehensive sex ed in our children's schools, but we also know that "the talk" doesn't end there.

Amaze is a new site full of funny videos aimed 10-14-year-olds. Most are animations with some great drawings. The information is much more than simple sex ed. The topics covered include sexuality, when one might be ready for sex, and even how to handle it when you and your BFF start to drift apart. 

I think Amaze is a much needed addition to any parents' toolkit. I love how funny, cute and even poignant the videos can be. While I leaned on a book when my daughter was younger, I haven't found a good book to have for her during this middle school period. As a parent you can watch one to get a sense of how to talk to your child about a topic, or maybe watch it, suggest it to your child and then talk about it afterward. Or it might be a site where you can send a strong signal that you trust your child to make good decisions by simply saying, "Hey, I found this new site. I think you should bookmark it for when you have questions about sex and relationships."

Head on over to Amaze and let us know what you think of the videos and the site over social media using the #MoreInfoLessWeird hashtag.

This post is made possible by support from AMAZE. All opinions are my own.