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Parenting Q&A with Dr. Hale Akamine

This past Sunday GBCK featured a Q&A session with Dr. Hale Akamine as part of our Parental Guidance series.  Over the past few weeks people submitted their parenting questions for Hale which he answered live on Sunday.

Here are some highlights:

Question: How do I talk to my child about sex?
Answer: Talk about sex in the context of a loving relationship between a husband and wife.  Help your child understand sex as a part of a healthy marriage.

Question: At what age do I talk to my child about sex?
Answer:  A suggested age is between 10-12 years old.

Question: At what age is it appropriate to date?
Answer:  It's important to note that the human brain doesn't fully form its logical thinking abilities until age 24.  Yet, the male reaches his sexual peak at age 17.  So, to pair up your children in a dating situation puts them together when sexual urges are the strongest, yet their ability to reason isn't yest developed.  It's suggested to encourage group activities when interacting with the opposite sex.

Question: When do I let my child quit an activity? What's the difference between teaching perseverance and being too driving?
Answer: First, ask why you desire your child to remain in an activity.  Is it because you never played the sport, instrument, etc. that you want them to?  If your child is losing interest, it's a good idea to put an end date to the activity and evaluate whether your child wants to continue.

These are just a few of the questions answered by Dr. Hale.  You can listen to the full Q&A here under "Rock the Doc".