u/Green-Bed9435

My son 9yo told me that some of his friends have started calling each other “virgins”, although it’s obvious none of them actually know what the word means.

He asked me what it meant, and I told him it wasn’t anything bad, but that he was a little too young for that conversation. He starts sex education next year, so I initially thought I’d leave it until then.

Now I’m wondering whether making it seem secret or forbidden was the wrong approach. Would you give him a simple, age-appropriate explanation now, or wait until he’s a bit older?

Update - After reading the comments, I went back and spoke to him. I simply explained that a virgin is someone who hasn’t had sex. He said “oh, okay.” I asked whether he understood what sex was and he immediately said that he did which was slightly surprising 😅 , although I’m guessing he probably only has a vague playground-level understanding. I didn’t push him for details. I also explained that being a virgin isn’t an insult or something he should worry about, especially because children shouldn’t be having sex anyway, so it’s completely normal. I finished by telling him that he can ask me anything else whenever he wants. It ended up being a very short and completely unawkward conversation. I will defiently be elaborating on what sex is so that we can discuss consent, respect and safety early on as others have suggested.

I'd just like to say thank you for the help. 🙏