It’s been five years since I last gave birth and I would imagine this time around the questions will be different coming from my older children. We’ve already had the ‘yes but HOW did the baby get in there’ Q&A session and I am sure there will be more to come.

Back when Jimmy was tiny and Florence was only two and a half we had questions too of course but they were less sophisticated. She saw some blood when I was in the bath and asked me rather worriedly if I was going to have another baby. I explained that every month a grown up lady’s body makes an egg and then her body asks her if she wants to have a baby. If she says yes then it continues to grow the egg but if she says ‘no thank you, not this month’ then the egg comes out and with it comes a little blood.

It was truthful yet age appropriate and it satisfied her need to know the answer at that time. I think that’s the key you know, to be as truthful as possible in a way that they can cope with. Otherwise they will grow up potentially not understanding fully. A bit like the time I was 5 and my Mum told me our cat had got old and needed a quieter life so had gone off to live on a farm by the beach where it was very happy and enjoying life. I got to 14 believing this to be the case, not for one second did I think MY Mum might have LIED. I mentioned poor old George when I was 14 saying ‘I wonder if she’s still alive and enjoying the beach?’ My Mum sniggered… Hmmm!

When it comes to the ‘teen talk’ however I think this probably has to happen a little bit before teenagerdom. I went to a frank discussion over afternoon tea with lots of bloggers and celebrity mum Gabby Logan recently and we discussed the different ways to have ‘the conversation’ and how. All the mums around the table, some of whom were Hannah from What Hannah Did Next, Vickie from Honest Mum and Emma from The Joy Of Five, had different stories of when they had and what they had planned and it was very interesting to get some ideas and also just some moral support.

Emma, for instance, already has a grown up daughter who has a daughter of her own as well as having her little ones and obviously is a wealth of knowledge on such matters and speaking to Gabby, a mother of twin teens, it was interesting to see from all perspectives how the conversations may go.

Celebrity mum Gabby Logan and her 12 year old daughter Lois, have joined forces with Boots and trusted brands including Always, Tampax and Venus for the second year of the #TeenTalk campaign, which provides parents with the tips and tools to have the #TeenTalk with confidence.

–          68% of parents find it difficult to approach puberty topics with their teen
–          A quarter of parents avoid the #TeenTalk altogether
–          1 in 5 parents are unsure about how to start the puberty conversation
–          33% of parents wish they could talk more openly with their teen

Puberty is a real rite of passage for both parents and teens, and parents can often feel as confused and unsure about how to approach this as teens.  Recent research from Boots and P&G reveals just how challenging this this life-stage can be:

33 of parents wish they could talk more openly with their teen
68% of parents find it difficult to approach puberty topics with their teen, so much so that a quarter avoid the #TeenTalk completely
1 in 5 parents are unsure about how to start the puberty conversation.

From the 10th May – 6th June, Boots will be giving away a free #TeenTalk guide with the purchase of any Venus, Always and Tampax products. As added value, and to help parents and teens trial the different products that might be right for them as they enter this new life stage together, Boots will be running great value promotions on P&G trusted products. As an added bonus, parents and teens will also receive a free gift for their teen daughter with each purchase.

I think it’s an important discussion to have with both boys and girls but perhaps more precarious, oddly enough, with boys. I have a friend with only boys who says she is so worried they will get someone pregnant and then she will have no control whatsoever whereas a daughter might mean you have a bit more sway. It’s certainly something to think about and for me a bridge I will have to cross both ways. Thank goodness for the help from Boots and the #TeenTalk campaign which is helping to equip me now and hopefully for the future too.

If you want to see some more tips and advice on #TeenTalk and information about the products simply go to http://www.boots.com/teen-talk.

Or you can download the handy booklet here which offers some tips and advice.

A collaborative post.

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