‘Tell them straight up what it is’: How celebrity parents Gwyneth Paltrow, Dax Shepard, Elizabeth Banks are having the sex talk with their kids
Having the sex talk can be an awkward conversation between parents and their kids but these celebrities are proving that it doesn't have to be. Gwyneth Paltrow, Dax Shepard, and Elizabeth Banks are opening up about how they're being candid and open talking to their children about the birds and the bees.
When she guested on The Late Night Show with Stephen Colbert on Oct. 27, Banks shared that she had "the talk" early with her two sons Felix, 10, and Magnus, 8.
"You should not lie to your kids about it. If they ask, it's because they're curious and they're age appropriate," the actress said. "You should tell them straight up what it is. If you say 'stork,' then later on they're going to ask, 'What else did she lie to me about?' Because they're going to figure out soon enough it ain't storks."
Banks has her own sex education podcast titled My Body, My Podcast where she has frank conversations about sex, including gender binary, body image, sexual shame, and more.
When Colbert joked about passing on the sex talk duties to his own wife, Banks stressed the importance of having fathers being part of the conversation.
"We have to get more men involved in the conversation! Because one of the things we talk about on the podcast is how much emotional podcast men—husbands, fathers, and brothers—leave to the women in their lives," she said.
Meanwhile, Paltrow discussed with Shepard how they talked about the birds and the bees with their kids. Shepard, who has two daughters— Delta, 6, and Lincoln, 8—with Kristen Bell, said that he wants to teach his kids that sex is enjoyable and that they shouldn't view it as a measure of desirability. He also shared about being told about "protecting" his daughters' virginity.
"I do not want my daughters to have sex so that they can get approval from somebody," Shepard said in the Armchair Expert podcast.
The actor said his wife did a great job talking to their kids about consent. "You're in charge of this and you will decide to put this in your vagina," he continued. "Not the man puts his penis in your vagina. You are in the driver's seat."
In the past, Paltrow said that she tries to stay open-minded when talking about sex with her kids—17-year-old Apple, 15-year-old Moses, and step-children Isabella and Brody.
"I try to stay neutral and open and non-judgmental and follow their lead. I think there's nothing wrong with understanding your body and what works for you and how you receive pleasure. I think it's beautiful and it's healthy," Paltrow told E! News.