Inside Sex Therapy

Kristy, a Skyper from San Diego, wants to know how to teach her daughter about sexuality. "Is it our job to teach our children about the female genitalia and the way that pleasure is achieved?" she asks. "How do we teach our daughters this—or do we?"

Dr. Berman says parents should use the correct terminology for their body parts from a young age. "Around fifth grade, you're going to start talking to them about what to expect with puberty. How their bodies are going to be changing," she says. "It's so important to certainly tell our daughters about safer sex and sexually transmitted diseases and the risks of pregnancy. But don't forget to teach her about the joy and the gift that sex is as well."

In order for a young woman to achieve sex for pleasure, joy and passion, Dr. Berman says she must understand where it comes from. "She has to learn to love her body and to love the gift that her sexuality is," Dr. Berman says. "And then she's more likely to be selective with who she gives it to as well."