Kylie Kelsey slams TikTok trend ‘sibling gift’
Kylie Kelsey is speaking out against a new parenting trend where siblings receive gifts at children’s birthday parties.
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Kylie Kelsey is getting real about the relatable parenting moments she’s faced.
On the Jan. 29 episode of her podcast, “Not Gonna Lie with Kylie Kelce,” the mother of four daughters, ages 1 to nearly 6, with former NFL star Jason Kelce, shared her approach to explaining how babies are made.
“Yeah, my older kids have asked me how babies get in their bellies and how they get here, and now my answer is always the same,” Kelce said on the podcast while answering questions from fans.
“When two people love each other enough, that love creates a baby,” Kelce explained. “I like this because it explains a lot of situations, including some not-so-traditional ones, so you can deal with those situations when they arise.”
Parent educators Megan Michelson and Mary Flo Ridley, who run Birds and Bees, a sex education company for parents, praised Kelce for answering questions rather than ending the conversation.
“This is a great reminder to all the parents listening to start the conversation during this time,” Michelson says.
Use this method to talk about sex
Michelson says the biggest mistake parents make when talking about sex is avoiding the topic altogether. It’s natural to be curious. Michaelson and Ridley say answering questions as they come, rather than saving them for one big conversation like Kelce does, is key to avoiding shame and secrecy around sex.
They recommend sharing age-appropriate bite-sized pieces of information in stages throughout childhood. This is called the “drip, drip, drip” method, and it compares a child’s mind to a sponge that absorbs information.
“We don’t want to fit it into one big talk and pour it all in at once. Instead, we want it to trickle and trickle and trickle over the years so that it gets absorbed and understood,” Ridley says.
And Kelce is doing just that. She added that she tries her best to “not complicate things” when answering.
“I like the fact that people love each other, that people want babies, and that they have babies. That’s how you get here because of love,” Kelce said.
Michelson said Kelce could eventually expand on that answer to explain that all families, regardless of their structure, begin with a “seed and an egg.”
“I think this will give us a language and a vocabulary for all types of families: sperm donors, same-sex families, adoption, IVF, etc.,” Michelson says.
How parents can lay the foundation for conversations about sex and relationships
Kelsey went on to explain that she and Jason use anatomically correct terminology when talking about their bodies.
“Let me tell you, as it applies to this conversation later, we refer to all parts of the body by their correct anatomical terminology,” Kelce continued. “And that’s all we’re working on right now. We’re fascinated by the word penis. Fascinated.”
Michelson says many parents listening may laugh because the conversation is so relatable.
“Kids are curious about parts of the body, especially the private parts,” Michelson says. “I don’t want to be super stupid and emphasize their natural stupidity, but I also don’t want them to be secretive and shameful and only use the word ‘private’ (in a whisper).”
Emily Morehead, a Texas-based licensed professional counselor with expertise in sexuality and relationships, says using anatomically correct language can help children set boundaries around their private parts and seek help if a dangerous situation of abuse arises.
“I think parents are very reluctant to teach young children words like vagina, vulva, penis… but I think if parents consider it from a safety standpoint, it really helps their understanding,” Morehead says.
Sex experts say parents should respectfully communicate the facts in a matter-of-fact tone so children can learn the terminology and set boundaries around private areas. Morehead says that establishing trust and communication patterns in children’s early years can help broaden the conversation to topics such as childbirth, puberty, and teen masturbation.
As children enter their teenage years, it’s also important to ensure that discussions about privacy and boundaries extend to online safety.
After all, it’s important to position parents as experts on the subject early on.
“You just have to stay connected to them so you can have a voice,” Ridley said. “If your voice is too slow, they’re going to ignore it a little bit because where were you when they first asked the question?”
Rachel Hale’s role covering youth mental health for USA TODAY is supported by a partnership with Pivotal and Journalism Funding Partners. Funders do not provide editorial input. Contact her at rhale@usatoday.com. @rachleighhale With X.
