Common worries & beliefs
Parents’ common worries and beliefs
There are lots of different worries and beliefs held by parents which can make it hard to think about and tackle these issues – and even stop parents from being able to address these topics with their children.
Many are shared.
The most common worries or beliefs held by many parents include:
- that children with disabilities don’t have the same (physical, emotional, sexual) feelings, responses and development as other children,
- that young people with disabilities are asexual, or physically unable to be sexual.
- that talking about bodies, sexuality or relationships will give children and young people ideas they wouldn’t have had otherwise
- that if you do talk about bodies, sexuality, relationships it will only cause problems because children don’t have the self-control or ability to control or manage these feelings,
- that the children and young people won’t understand what is being discussed so there is no use tackling it.
- That even if children and young people have an adult body, if they have a young intellectual age they won’t have the same experiences as others with an adult body.
- That not talking about these topics is a way of sheltering their child from the world of sex.
- That children aren’t interested.