Healthy Relationships

Some of the most important conversations we have with our children are often the hardest to start. This week, we ran an information session for Years 3-6 families focused on what it means to have healthy, age‑appropriate conversations about their growing bodies, relationships and online safety.  

Our intention to encourage calm, open and ongoing conversations within families about sexual health education. These moments are a valuable opportunity to celebrate how our creative God has made each child uniquely for a purpose and reminding our children that they are fearfully and wonderfully made.  

We explored why these conversations matter so deeply. Just as we teach everyday safety skills like wearing a helmet when you ride a bike, sexual health education helps children feel safe, informed and empowered. One key message is that children will learn about these topics from somewhere, whether that be friends or online, and that information is not always accurate or helpful. We want you, as parents, to be your child’s most trusted source of truth. Curiosity is normal, so it is important that our children feel they can confidently ask questions. Taking authentic, everyday moments is often the best place to start, such as when your child hears that someone is having a baby.  

We want our students to be prepared, aware and educated about the changes their bodies will go through so they feel safe. Open conversations at home can reduce anxiety, secrecy and risk-taking, and help children understand boundaries and recognise unsafe situations. These conversations build trust and confidence as children learn to care for their bodies through puberty.  

At our “Healthy Conversations” online parent session last Thursday (click here for replay) we unpacked how discussions about sexual health and cyber safety are interwoven. We use the term “bold parenting” regularly because as our children grow into adults, we as Christian parents at DCC must be BOLD and UNIFIED in our technology boundaries, but also strategic in the responsibility we entrust our children with. 

Daniel Sih in his book ‘Raising Tech Healthy Humans’ states that “the role of a parent is to love, mentor and equip their children with the physical, emotional and psychological experiences that need to become adults, without trying to be their best friend. This is known as ‘tough love’ – the willingness to suffer and absorb setbacks to prepare our kids for a better future.” (Sih, 2023).  

An example of this tough love is discussing and creating a family tech agreement. More than just a set of rules about how devices, like smartphones, tablets, computers, TVs and gaming consoles are used in your home, it normalises ongoing conversations with your children on the topic. 

An effective line to regularly drop in the discussion is “If you can show us that you can be responsible, we will consider broadening your technology access in the future.” According to esafety.gov.au, creating a family agreement together with your children will help you and your children have a smoother time with technology in your child's late Primary and early Secondary school years. Talking with your child about tech rules will develop their digital intelligence and build good habits around technology.  

Our journey toward a tech-balanced life for our children is an ongoing one and it involves intentional and sometimes bold decisions for us as parents. While there is a temptation to indulge our children in every new app or gadget, we must hold fast to the words of Proverbs 22:6 "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it." and be reassured that a shared Family Technology Agreement is an opportunity to model wisdom, boundaries, and loving guidance in the digital age.