The education of desire: the awakening of sexuality
The adolescent begins to experience transformations at all levels: psychological, biological and affective. Interest in girls or boys will begin to emerge, seeking to love someone and feel loved. It is now when we must talk about sexual education at home with our children of love, devotion and feelings, all oriented to an orderly education of desire and affectivity.
Support adolescents emotionally
Each child needs a harmonious development of their entire being, which includes having their parents transmit values to them. Hence, the sex education it must include affectivity, education of the will, feelings and emotions. Thus, they must learn to recognize their own feelings, understand the feelings of others and share them, learn to listen, discover the needs of a friend; learn to manage anxiety, anger and sadness, know how to control emotions; take responsibility for decisions and dare to compromise.
Many parents fear that when their children reach adolescence, family influence is eclipsed by the circle of peers, becoming the source of conflict. However, the family environment is decisive: adolescents who feel attached to their family have less risk of assuming behaviors such as the consumption of drugs, alcohol, tobacco or premature sexual relations.
Of course, they must be able to count on one of the parents at home at key times of the day, such as the return of the school or institute, the time of dinner or arrival of other activities or outings. Children should know that when they need to talk to parents at least one of them will be accessible, even by phone, because emotional closeness is even more important than physical.
The awakening of sexuality in adolescents
In these ages it sprouts with force the awakening of sexuality, when it has not yet reached the psychic and personal maturity. Will and knowledge are still not strong enough to dominate and control the sex drive. With ease this powerful impulse can lead to masturbation, which consists in giving oneself, solitarily, sexual pleasure by the voluntary arousal of the genital parts, which can become a habit when no remedy is put in place to master those impulses.
In the years of development, this attitude is not a sign of an exaggerated sexual desire, nor does it have physical side effects, but it is usually accompanied by feelings of discomfort because the sexual power is not made for one person, but to make another person happy . The role of parents will be to de-dramatize and offer a positive orientation to help overcome it: avoid isolation, loneliness, isolation, very closed and introverted life habits, as well as exciting music and movies.
Maria Lucea
Advisor: Ana Otte. Doctor of Medicine and Family Counselor
