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Few parents enjoy those oh-so-important talks with children about the "facts of life." The fact is, you can (and probably should!) begin the conversation as soon as a child turns 3 years old. As for the delicate wording--Linda and Richard Eyre (Teaching Your Children Values) have plenty of suggestions in their comprehensive, step-by-step guide, How to Talk to Your Child About Sex. Starting with the "Preliminary 'As Needed' Talks with Three-to-Eight Year-Olds," the Eyres arrange their chapters by age, including the "The Age Eight 'Big Talk'" and numerous chapters on talking with preteens and adolescents.
The authors also describe what's normal sexual behavior for each stage of development and how to plant the seeds of appreciation of one's body and the later respect for commitment and love. They examine how parents can stay true to their moral and spiritual values while staying connected to their teenagers' sexual reality. Parents will especially appreciate the up-to-date research, such as current statistics about adolescent fears, desires, and activity surrounding sexuality. --Gail Hudson
From Library Journal
These books concentrate on teen abstinence, idealizing post-adolescent marriage and "committed relationships" as the best settings for sex. The Eyres, authors of several books on parenting, including Teaching Your Children Values (LJ 3/15/93), propose telling children: "Sex is awesome and wonderful: save it for the one you love." Tips, reading selections, and sample dialogs are given for each age group, along with appropriate preparation and follow-up. Though much here is excellent, few sex educators support withholding information from young children, as the Eyres seem to recommend; and the book cannot stand alone, since many details about sex are not provided. Only for libraries with other, more detailed books, such as Mary Calderone and James Ramey's Talking with Your Child About Sex (LJ 12/15/82), Patty Stark's Sex Is More Than a Plumbing Lesson (Preston Hollow, 1991), and Stanton and Brenna Jones's Christian-based How & When To Tell Your Kids About Sex (NavPress, 1993). Pogany, a medical/science journalist, makes some good points (e.g., coitus can have devastating consequences for adolescents), and her assertions are well referenced. Nor is she preachy; rather, she aims to empower young people to reach their own goals. Still, Sex Smart is ultimately a straightforward "scare" book and is recommended only for collections with other, comprehensive teen sex books. But do buy Patti Breitman and others' excellent How To Persuade Your Lover To Use a Condom...And Why You Should (LJ 8/87).AMartha Cornog, American Coll. of Physicians, PhiladelphiaCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Review
"The Eyres have distilled in this one volume an absolute storehouse of wisdom profoundly needed today. Their practical, doable approach really works." --Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families on Teaching Your Children Values
Review
"The Eyres have distilled in this one volume an absolute storehouse of wisdom profoundly needed today. Their practical, doable approach really works." --Stephen R. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families on Teaching Your Children Values
Book Description
Linda and Richard Eyre stress that it's never too soon-or too late-to start discussing sex and values with your children, and they've got proven strategies to make it easier. How to Talk to Your Child About Sex provides thoughtful, clear, specific guidance on when and, most important, how to help children begin to understand sex, love, and commitment from the most positive viewpoint possible.
Preliminary "as needed" talks with three-to eight-year-olds
The age eight Big Talk
Follow-up talks with eight-to thirteen-year-olds
Behavior discussions with eleven-to sixteen-year-olds
Discussions of perspective and personal standards with fifteen-to nineteen-year-olds
About the Author
Linda and Richard Eyre live with their family in Washington, D.C.; Salt Lake City, Utah; and Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The mission statement of their nonprofit foundation EYREALM is "Popularize Parenting, Validate Values, and Bolster Balance." They are hard at work on their next book, Turning the Hearts: Re-Value-ing the American Family.
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