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For Parents of Teens and Preteens

Your Teen Is Online. Porn Is Online. Time to Talk?

May 15, 2020 by Jill Whitney

With many schools temporarily shuttered, teens are spending even more time online than they used to. They’re doing schoolwork digitally, connecting with friends using apps…and they may also be watching more sexually stimulating material. If that makes you kinda shriek inside…well, that’s understandable. Your teen using porn isn’t a comfortable idea, and it might not […]

Filed Under: Featured, For Parents of Teens and Preteens Tagged With: parenting teens, pornography, sex ed, teen sexuality, teens

TalkStarter for Teens: What Counts as “Having Sex”?

April 9, 2020 by Jill Whitney

When we talk about having sex, what, exactly, are we talking about? On one level, this may seem obvious. Most often we mean sexual intercourse: penis-in-vagina (PIV) sex. But if you stop to think about it, isn’t there a lot more to people’s sexual experiences? Is PIV the only thing that counts as sex? This […]

Filed Under: Everyone, Featured, For Parents of Teens and Preteens, TalkStarters Tagged With: parenting teens, sexuality, teens

Please, LinkedIn, Don’t Block My Posts

February 26, 2020 by Jill Whitney

The other day I was chatting with a friend I don’t see often but with whom I’m friends on LinkedIn. He said something about it being lucky his company’s filters didn’t block my “uh…interesting posts.” He meant, of course, what I write about sexuality and especially the importance of talking about intimacy and sexual health […]

Filed Under: Everyone, Featured, For Parents of Teens and Preteens, For Parents of Young Children Tagged With: intimacy, relationships, sex, sexual health

The 3 Most Important Things to Tell Kids about Puberty

January 25, 2020 by Jill Whitney

If your kid is in late elementary school, you may be thinking you should talk about puberty one of these days. But…maybe not just yet, because…well, awkward! And where do you start? No worries. Although puberty is a complicated process physically and emotionally, the essential things you need to tell your child are pretty easy. […]

Filed Under: Featured, For Parents of Teens and Preteens, For Parents of Young Children Tagged With: parenting, period, puberty

Should Busy Couples Schedule Sex?

October 29, 2019 by Jill Whitney

Your lives are super-busy. What with jobs, taking care of the kids, dealing with the house, and just daily life, you hardly get any time alone with your partner. Even when you do, one or both of you may be so wiped out that sex just isn’t happening. That’s the reality…but it rots. You aren’t […]

Filed Under: Everyone, Featured, For Parents of Teens and Preteens, For Parents of Young Children Tagged With: couples, date night, intimacy, parents, relationships, sex

What Good Guys Need to Know about Consent

October 15, 2019 by Jill Whitney

There’s been a lot in the news about sexual predators like Jeffrey Epstein taking advantage of many, many girls. You may also have heard that a fairly small percentage of college men are responsible for a disproportionate percentage of campus sexual assaults. It’s relatively few people (almost all of them male) make a habit, even […]

Filed Under: Everyone, Featured, For Parents of Teens and Preteens Tagged With: college, consent, guys, sex, sexual assault, teens

The Smart Way to Protect Kids’ Innocence

October 1, 2019 by Jill Whitney

No parent wants their child to grow up too quickly or be exposed to things they’re not emotionally equipped to handle. We want to give them room to be children without adult worries. It’s our job to protect them, physically and emotionally, while we help them grow up at a gentle pace. Wanting to protect […]

Filed Under: Featured, For Parents of Teens and Preteens, For Parents of Young Children Tagged With: birds & bees, kids, parenting, sex ed

TalkStarter for Adults: The Funny Side of the Birds & the Bees

September 17, 2019 by Jill Whitney

If you’re feeling awkward about telling your kids about the birds and the bees, or even talking with your partner about sex, let a little humor help you through. Think about children you’ve known over the years: your own, or a friend’s children, or kids you knew growing up. What’s the funniest thing you’ve ever […]

Filed Under: Everyone, Featured, For Parents of Teens and Preteens, For Parents of Young Children, TalkStarters Tagged With: birds and bees, kids, parenting, sex ed

School Open House? Learn about Health Ed

September 3, 2019 by Jill Whitney

If your kids are in school, chances are you’ll be invited to an open house this fall. I hope you’ll go, for many reasons—one of which is that it’s a great chance to learn what your kids will be learning about health and sexual health. You might think health ed isn’t as important as math […]

Filed Under: Featured, For Parents of Teens and Preteens, For Parents of Young Children Tagged With: health ed, parenting, school, school open house, sex ed

How College Kids Really Feel about Hookups

August 13, 2019 by Jill Whitney

The whole hookup trend fascinates me. I get that for some people, sex with no strings can be fun and exciting. But most of the young people I talk with either don’t have much casual sex or don’t really like it when they do. So how did hooking up get to be such a big […]

Filed Under: Everyone, Featured, For Parents of Teens and Preteens Tagged With: college, hookups, sexuality

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Your Teen Is Online. Porn Is Online. Time to Talk?

field of red flowers

TalkStarter for Teens: What Counts as “Having Sex”?

two kittens

TalkStarter for Kids: When a Pet Has a Litter

LinkedIn login page

Please, LinkedIn, Don’t Block My Posts

red, yellow, and green tomaotes

The 3 Most Important Things to Tell Kids about Puberty

logs burning in fire pit

When You Want to Make Love (Not Just Have Sex)

clouds giving way to blue sky

My Toddler Touches…Down There. Should I Worry?

Should Busy Couples Schedule Sex?

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What Good Guys Need to Know about Consent

pink peony closeup

The Smart Way to Protect Kids’ Innocence

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About the Author

Jill Whitney is a licensed marriage and family therapist dedicated to improving communication about relationships, sexuality, and intimacy. Learn more about her and her practice at Green Tree Professional Counseling.

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