Table of contents:
- Talking about wet dreams with children
- 1. Provide a basic description of puberty
- 2. Explain why wet dreams can occur
- 3. Answer all questions and overcome anxiety
- 4. Correcting wrong assumptions
- 5. Emphasize that wet dreams are normal
Wet dreams are a normal stage in puberty, and parents should be the first to explain this to their children. However, the reality is that there are still many parents who are confused about finding ways to start this conversation with their children.
Then, what kind of methods should parents apply?
Talking about wet dreams with children
Opening the discussion about wet dreams is certainly not easy. You may worry that this conversation will feel awkward, so prefer not to talk about it. Meanwhile, your child also feels strange if you have to ask this to you so he just keeps quiet.
In fact, parents should be the main source of information that a child can rely on.
So that children can still get information without feeling awkward, here are a series of tips that you can apply when explaining wet dreams:
1. Provide a basic description of puberty
It is almost impossible to explain wet dreams without talking about puberty. Therefore, try to provide a basic explanation that as growth goes on, many changes will appear in your child's body.
After explaining that there will be many changes, then you can describe what might change in your child. For example, a deeper voice, hair that begins to grow on the armpits and pubic, to enlarge the size of the penis and testicles.
When the atmosphere has awakened, you can start to get into deeper topics, such as his penis can harden at any time (erection), both during the day and when he is asleep.
2. Explain why wet dreams can occur
Now that your child understands what an erection is, it is time to explain about wet dreams. Explain that during a wet dream, what comes out is fluid containing sperm from the penis.
You also need to tell him that the discharge looks white and sticky, in contrast to the urine that comes out when you wet the bed.
Don't forget to explain that this is a normal condition and that almost all boys will experience it when they reach puberty. In fact, wet dreams are uncontrollable.
3. Answer all questions and overcome anxiety
Every child will go through puberty with different conditions. Some children may experience wet dreams when they are 10 years old, but there are also children who only experience them when they are 15 years old.
There are also children who have wet dreams, but their intimate organs have not yet looked enlarged. Be prepared to answer lots of questions about wet dreams.
Now, this is where you as a parent must be able to provide the most appropriate answers to eliminate children's anxiety.
4. Correcting wrong assumptions
If you haven't explained puberty before, your child may be misinformed about wet dreams. This happens because information is widely circulated and can be accessed easily, but not all of it is accurate.
Try to be an open parent when it comes to sexual education. Listen to your child's opinion carefully, then correct any misconceptions based on the knowledge you already have.
5. Emphasize that wet dreams are normal
When the child talks about his wet dream, emphasize that this condition is completely normal. Also explain that each child has a different experience of wet dreams, both in terms of first appearance, frequency, and so on.
On the other hand, there are also children who have never had wet dreams. This condition is also normal and parents need not worry, as long as the child's body continues to develop during puberty and their reproductive organs function properly.
Wet dreams are a sign that your child is going through puberty. Therefore, it is important for parents to explain to children about wet dreams and the various changes that will occur in their bodies.
This step aims to make children ready to face major changes from a physical and psychological perspective. In addition, children can also go through puberty without having to get wrong information.
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