Paradise Under Your Feet — Page 171
Appendix 4: Hygiene, Puberty, and Sex Education 171 َ قَال رَب ۡ اشۡرَح ۡ لی صَدۡری ۡۡ َ و ۡ یَسر ۡۤۡ لی ۡ اَمۡری َ و ۡ احۡلل ً عقۡدَۃ ۡ من ۡ لسَانی “ My Lord, open out for me my breast, and ease for me my task, and loose the knot of my tongue. ” A4. 1 What Should I Say? You only need to say as much as your child is ready for. A girl who is approaching puberty at a very early age may only need to know about the changes in her body, but may not be ready to know about sex. You may want to approach talking to her in stages, adding information as she gets older. Let your child know that you understand what goes on around him/her in school and that is why you want to talk to him/her. It is very important to teach your child that sex in Islam is not dirty or shameful but a natural process for procreation and comfort for husband and wife. The teachings of modesty and chastity are intended to make sex a blessing within the protection of marriage. The behaviors he/she sees around her in school and society destroy this blessing by taking away the protection of marriage and making sex into something careless and meaningless. Give your child a brief, but accurate, description of what physically happens in puberty and sex. This is the most challenging part, but you will be motivated if you think of all the other information your child is already receiving that may be inaccurate and misguided. Always maintain wisdom and dignity in the choice of words. Teach proper Islamic hygiene as related to events in puberty. Teach your child the correct words for our anatomy. He/she will hear a great number of slang and foul words throughout