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That little bottom that you swaddled just a few short minutes ago is ready for something very adult and better be ready to talk about it. That's right; it's s-e-x. If you aren't prepared, you are sending your son into a dangerous world, rife with very real physical, emotional and perhaps legal consequences.

GET OVER YOURSELF ALREADY
If you have hang-ups about sex, figure them out. Talk to trusted friends, your spouse or a clergy member and get them off your chest. The more you talk about sex, the more you get it out in the open, the more comfortable you become with the topic and the easier you'll find it to talk about with your son when the time comes. The key is to get rid of lingering issues you have with the topic that he'll be able to pick up on with that amazing kid radar that they all seem to have.

And, no excuses if you have an opposite sex child to talk to. If you are a single mom of a son, enlist the help of a friend or a favorite uncle if you've got one. If you don't have anyone, read some books, magazine articles and whatever you can find. Bulk up on information. Uneasiness with the topic is no excuse to let it slide.

FINGERS, TOES, PENIS AND NOSE
Start talking earlyreally early. That's not to say start sexualizing your child at a young age. But, as your child grows, it's important that topics relating to sex never seem taboo; that includes sexual organs and parts. If you seem embarrassed to name your son's penis, blushing when he touches it, exploring his own body, he'll sense that there is something fishy going on. Teach the penis as you would any other body part, never assigning it stigma.

HIT THE RUMOR MILL OFF AT THE PASS
Look for opportunities before your child hits those teen years to initiate conversations that will lead to more advanced topics later on. If your son spots a pregnant woman, it might be a good time to discuss pregnancy and how it happens. If you happen to spot some passionate kissing on television, it's probably a good opportunity to disconnect between the way that the media portrays love and sex and the way it happens in the real world; with couples on television meeting and almost immediately falling into bed together.

The key to these dialogues is that, from a young age, there is a continuous, although not constant, open dialogue about sexual topics. Your son should feel comfortable asking questions and bringing up topics he hears about on television and through his friends. And, you should be bringing up topics that you feel are

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