October 9th 2023.
Clio Wood and her husband Bryn believe in openness when it comes to talking to their two daughters, Delphi, two, and Echo, nine, about sex. Clio started talking to her eldest daughter about sex when she was three, using simplified language for her age. Instead of talking about storks or baskets, Clio told her that "daddy's seed and mummy's seed must join inside mummy in order to make a baby and that daddy's penis goes inside mummy's vagina to get the seed there."
As a women's health advocate and author of Get Your Mojo Back, Clio believes in a sex-positive parenting approach that starts at home and nothing is off-topic when it comes to educating her girls about the birds and bees. She says that "sex-positive parenting is really about removing the stigma around sex and sexuality" and that "by allowing honest and open conversations in the home, you can guide your child's learning in a positive way and make it less taboo - sex is, after all, how we all got here!"
Clio and her husband Bryn want their children to be confident in saying no, asking for what they need and want and also recognise that sex is not just about making babies but for about emotional connection and pleasure too. Without sufficient information, Clio believes when children get to teenage years and early adulthood they can have experiences that may not make them feel good.
Talking to her children, Clio takes a child-led approach but the main starting point is often discussing where babies come from. She recommends raising the topic if it hasn't been brought up by the time your child is eight, as this is when they will have started to cover sex in PSHE classes. Clio believes that sex-positive conversations should start at home and should not just be left down to schools.
Clio advises pushing through any awkwardness when talking to your children about sex. She says "the great thing is that the more we talk about something, the more comfortable it feels. I guarantee you that by the fifth time you've said vagina or vulva instead of 'foo-foo' or 'fanny' it will feel so much easier!"
It is clear that Clio believes that conversations around sex, pregnancy and birth are important for children to have. It is important for them to learn about boundaries, to know what they are comfortable with and to have the vocabulary to express themselves. Clio hopes that more young people will be taught about the positive and joyful aspects of sex, rather than being exposed to aggressive porn.
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