Teaching Children About Marital Intimacy

Part of being a parent is teaching your children - even when it comes to sensitive topics like intimacy. How do you appropriately teach a child about intimacy, especially at young ages? 

I am not a parent yet, so I have not had any personal experience with this. However, we discussed in class some key points for teaching children about intimacy.

• Teach that intimacy should be saved for marriage. Intimacy has two main purposes: to bring children into this world, and to bring the couple closer together. It gives them an opportunity to share something with their spouse they have never shared with anyone else. If they have been running around before marriage sharing this gift of intimacy with several people, how is it going to mean anything different in a marriage?
• Teach your children about intimacy, or the world will. And the world degrades the body, and sexual intimacy. The media portrays intimacy as a recreational hobby to be done at any age, any time, and with whomever you want. Teach the sacredness of intimacy, and it's true intended purpose. When my mother gave me the birds and the bees talk, I will never forget how serious she was about it. I could tell from her tone of voice how sacred the subject was. Because of that, I was able to ignore what I heard at school and reflect on what I knew about the true purpose of intimacy. When I had questions, I knew I was able to ask her, rather than questioning other peers at school. 
• Teach that the feelings of attraction, and the desire for intimacy is normal! God created our bodies this way, and it is not wrong to have those feelings. However, children need to understand the purpose of learning self-control and handling those feelings in an appropriate manner until marriage.
• If children grow up understanding the purpose of intimacy, it may relieve stress on their own wedding night.
• As children are taught in the home, it can combat the dirty and degrading jokes they may hear about sex at school.
• Use correct terminology of the body from the beginning. If we come up with cute little names for private parts, it may seem like a game or a joke to the child. For example, rather than using the term 'pee pee', teach little boys the correct term. 
• On the LDS Website, there is 'A Parent's Guide' on how to teach your children at all ages about their bodies and intimacy.  "The Lord placed upon parents the responsibility to teach their children to understand the proper use of procreative powers. This responsibility cannot be given to another. These powers are to be used only within the sanctity of lawful marriage relationships. As a parent, you can best help your children to see their procreative powers in a purse, chaste, and divine perspective, rather than in the strictly physical view of the world."

I am an advocate of intimacy being saved for marriage, and the blessings that can come from that. In order for these attitudes to be passed onto children, we have to be proactive to teach it to them!