December 08, 2003

Sex Education

Last year, as we learned that our nieces and nephews in public school were already being introduced to sex education, we decided we had better "get with the program!" So we did our homework and came up with a couple of resources we found to be very helpful in broaching this sometimes difficult subject.

For our son, who was almost 11 at the time, we purchased Dr. James Dobson's book Preparing for Adolescence. We instructed our son to read through one chapter at a time, then he and his dad discussed each one's contents. This method was very effective in helping to prepare him not only for the imminent changes to his body, but to inform him about emotional changes as well. (An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!)

For our daughter, almost 8 at that time, we purchased American Girl's The Care & Keeping of You: The Body Book for Girls. This was an excellent book for our daughter, which we read through together, chapter by chapter. (I did not complete the book with her however. Because of her maturity level, I did not feel she was quite ready to learn about menstruation last year. We will pick up where we left off in the not-too-distant future, I'm sure....)

Neither my husband nor I had much guidance going into adolescence. We wanted our children to be better prepared--especially in this crazy world! These books were just what we needed to introduce this difficult topic to our children, while also opening up a dialogue that has continued as circumstances have presented themselves. "They" say that if you can keep the doors of communication open with your children, the adolescent years will go much smoother. We have told our children there is nothing they can't tell us.... We are praying that God will prepare our hearts to receive whatever they may share with us in the future with His wisdom, understanding, and compassion.

In the meantime, we are sleeping a little easier knowing we were the ones to introduce them to the topic of sex, as well as to begin preparing them for the monumental changes that lie ahead for them.