To start: no, there are no “trusted male figures” in our lives. My brothers & father are all conservative, and I DO NOT trust them to properly explain things without shame and/or religious context.
My son knows the basics of reproduction, but I’ve never really explained what’s “normal” things for a teenage boy to go through… mainly because I don’t know!
I’ve definitely put it off, so he’s almost 14 and is much more physically mature than most of his peers (he’s got hair in places, shaves his face regularly, etc.)… but I’m embarrassed to admit that I know next to nothing about anything else…
Could y’all help me out? What did you go through that he should know about? What should I know about?
Many thanks to anyone who can help. Please don’t be unkind. Much appreciated.
EDIT: Thank you so much for all the advice so far!! Please keep it up!!
My son & I have very open communication & a very good relationship.
I think the two big things I have to add are:
Don’t let the church educate your son on these things.
Don’t say nothing.
If you’re unsure about talking to them about these things yourself, seek out a man you trust, talk to them about it and make sure your values align, and then talk to your son about them together.
Unfortunately, I do not have any close male friends, so I may need to address things myself.
Ah, didn’t mean for my advice to seem disparaging in anyway, so I apologize if that seemed the tone of it.
Luckily, as others have mentioned on the thread, there’s a ton of great resources online to help you out. You’re going to do great, and when your son is older, he’ll be grateful that you took the time.