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- Gwyneth Paltrow said her kids learned about sex before she had a chance to teach them about it.
- The actress said her children were given comprehensive sex-ed lessons in the sixth grade.
- "They came home and they had been taught everything. And when I say everything, I mean everything," Paltrow said.
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Gwyneth Paltrow was prepared to teach her kids about sex as they approached seventh grade, when she learned the work was already done.
The actress and Goop founder told the hosts of the SmartLess podcast her kids had already "been taught everything" in their sixth-grade sex education class.
Her 12-year-old daughter came home from school armed with new knowledge of sex and STIs.
"At their elementary school here in Los Angeles where they went, they gave them the most comprehensive sex-ed class in the 6th grade," Paltrow said. "They came home and they had been taught everything. And when I say everything, I mean everything. It was wild."
Experts recommend talking to your kids about sex as early as possible
Experts say that while comprehensive sex education classes in school are a great place to start, parents should normalize talking about sex as early as possible.
The American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry recommends parents be upfront with their toddlers and young children about sex and how babies are made. For example, parents should tell their kids they combine their seeds to grow a baby, instead of telling a 5-year-old the stork brings babies home, according to a guide by the AACAP.
Insider previously reported parents should also use the proper names of genitals and private areas with their children so they don't develop an aversion to these body parts later in life. Once they are older, these conversations can mature to reflect the questions the kids are asking.