Tips For Answering Questions

Listen carefully & find out more: they may ask one question to test the water for others
Remember your own sex life is private, being too open can be just as disturbing for young people as not being open enough
Ask them for their own views & opinions. Don’t laugh at them, get angry or lecture
Don’t assume that they’re asking because they’re having sex
There are no “perfect” answers – it’s impossible to prepare for every question
Consider age, stage and level of understanding when answering questions
Honesty is the best policy, don’t make things up. It’s okay to say you don’t know – you can find the answer out together or get back to them once you’ve found the information yourself
A good place to start is by asking what they know already: remember young people get information from other places
Take a moment – you don’t need to answer straight away. It may also not be a good time to respond, maybe there’s other people there or you’re in a very busy place. It’s important to remember to go back and answer the question later
Answer with a question – saying something like “That’s interesting, where did you hear that?” can buy you some time and can clarify the context and reasons for asking
Keep to the question – overloading them with information can be confusing or you may lose them. If they want to know more they’ll ask
for further information