How Can We Talk About That: Overcoming Personal Hangups So We Can Teach Kids The Right Stuff About Sex and Morality [Paperback]

Jane DiVita Woody (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 17, 2001 | ISBN-10: 0787959146 | ISBN-13: 978-0787959142 | Edition: 1

How Can We Talk About That? is a down-to-earth resource that can help you overcome your hang-ups so you can talk to your kids openly and honestly about sex. Author Jane DiVita Woody's new approach will inspire you to examine your sexual history so you will be better able to give your children both accurate sex education and meaningful moral guidance. Throughout the book she offers parents practical ideas for making changes and gaining the information and communication skills they need to guide the next generation toward sexual health.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Your kid's sexual education is likely to be a difficult topic to think about. Caught between fear of causing embarrassment and concern over the dangers of ignorance, it's a wonder that parents manage more than a blush and stutter while handing over a textbook. How Can We Talk About That? is designed to get at the root of the real problem: how your sexual history, fears, and hang-ups can get in the way of your ability to provide parental guidance in the matter of sex.

Neatly avoiding any discussion of relative morals, author Jane DiVita Woody has created a series of shorts tests that help both Mom and Dad honestly evaluate their sexual past--and present. From questions on your level of satisfaction to rating your worries as a parent, these tests are designed to provide a full understanding of your sexual fears, insecurities, and strengths.

Practical suggestions for using what you learn to improve communication with your partner are given; if you can't bring yourself to talk to your husband, will you do a good job teaching your child? Later chapters are devoted to appropriate topics of sexual education for different ages, all the way from a child's first year of life until she turns 18.

We all want to pass our values onto our kids, but we know that we can't depend on others to do it for us. Woody opens a clear path for starting the process by helping us better understand our own feelings about sex. --Jill Lightner

From Publishers Weekly

Teaching kids about sex has always been a challenge for most parents. Woody knows from her experiences as a marriage counselor and sex therapist that what's often holding parents back is not just logistical questions of when and what to tell, but unresolved sexual issues of their own. Inhibitions, guilt or unhappy sex lives can make parents loath to bring up the topic (sometimes unconsciously) or give incomplete information. In separate chapters for mothers and fathers, Woody discusses some of the most common reasons for hang-ups and offers questionnaires that let parents assess their own attitudes toward sexual behavior and their sexual values (morality here is an individual matter).The second half of the book offers specific advice for talking to kids of different ages, explaining what kinds of questions and attitudes parents can expect at each stage (including sample minidialogues), and the important points to stress for boys vs. girls. Working out sexual issues is, of course, the task of a lifetime for many, and it's unlikely that readers will actually overcome their hang-ups from Woody's self-assessment quizzes. Nonetheless, most will probably find her questions thought provoking and her practical advice reassuring. In simply drawing parents' attention to the role their own sexual history plays in "the sex talk," Woody performs a valuable service.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (December 17, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787959146
• ISBN-13: 978-0787959142
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,550,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Must Have" Reference for Mental Health Clinicians, January 24, 2002

By 

Deborah Silver, Psy.D (Ft. Myers, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Can We Talk About That: Overcoming Personal Hangups So We Can Teach Kids The Right Stuff About Sex and Morality (Paperback)

Dr. Woody has created a remarkable resource for those of us who work with children. Inevitably, important questions arise that can be difficult for the most seasoned clinician to manage. When the subject is sexuality, even the most coordinated tongues get tied. Dr. Woody provides scientifically-based information and guidance, along with case examples, to enliven and support discussions between parents and their children. Dr. Woody's writing style is clear and easy to read. She engages the reader from the outset, inviting them to develop those skills certain to promote strong relationships between parents and children. In this increasingly dangerous world, it is comforting to know there is a resource like How Can We Talk About That? to help. Mental health clinicians now have a reliable resource, both to expand their skill-base, as well as to share with the parents and children in their care. On a cautionary note, if you lend this book out you may not get it back! This book will be a parent's best friend, one we can turn to time and again for assistance.