#34: How do I talk to my child about sex and consent?

with Justine Ang Fonte, M.Ed, MPH

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In this episode we discuss…

  • what led justine to her work as a health educator

  • the impact of health disparities and how health education is not prioritized in schools

  • The infamous scene from Mean Girls

  • the impact of sex-negative health education

  • the gender socialization process

  • respecting your body’s functionality

  • being mindful of who interacts with your body

  • access to healthcare

  • embracing the idea that your body is deserving of kindness

  • the differences in fear-based health education and more comprehensive, inclusive education

  • how someone’s relationship with sex and their relationship with their body are interrelated, especially in adolescence

  • how parents are their child’s number one sex educator

  • resources for parents who are unsure how to begin conversations about sex, bodies, relationships, and consent

  • why sex ed is an ongoing conversation between parent and child, not just “the talk” that happens once

  • prioritizing safety, pleasure, and fulfillment in sex ed

  • normalizing the use of accurate anatomical names for body parts and why this matters

  • how to teach your child about their body, healthy relationships, and consent at ages 2, 7, and 17

  • the difference in “no means no” versus “only an enthusiastic yes means yes”

  • how to use your environment - from commercials to tv shows - as your child’s sex ed curriculum

  • children’s exposure to porn between ages 8 and 11

  • proactively educating your child about bodies and sex in a safe and accurate way in the digital age

  • justine’s answer to the million dollar question

Health educator Justine Ang Fonte joins us for a conversation about healthy relationships, sex, consent, and body positivity in the digital age. Justine explains why parents are the primary sex educators for their children and gives examples of what this can look like at different life stages.

Get our guide to body-positive parenting.

 

Justine Ang Fonte is a health educator, producer, and proud daughter of Philippine immigrants. Her career began teaching middle school mathematics where she experienced first hand the negative impact that insufficient health education and access had on her math students’ learning. She received her Master’s in Education in Teaching from the University of Hawai`i and Master’s in Public Health from Columbia University with a specialization in sexuality. She is currently the Director of Health & Wellness at The Dalton School in New York City teaching health to the student, parent, and faculty communities. She also works as a consultant and speaker to schools and universities on intersectional and feminist-based sex education across the 
United States. 

Connect with Justine on her website.

Resources mentioned:

Jordan Best