Customer Reviews

How to Talk to Your Child About Sex: . . .and Safety and Commitment and Marriage and Abstinence

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This is the best parenting book I have ever read and used. It has more applicability and direct relevance to my parenting than any other.

I saw the author of this book interviewed on TV a while back and decided to buy this book. I was intrigued by his philosophy to teach your children at age eight, and to teach kids that sex is the "most wonderful, awesome thing in the world."

I read the book and decided to give it a try on our nine year old. We followed their directions and dialog pretty closely and even used the children's book "Where did I come from" as part of the discussion (this is the book they recommend). We made it a special night for just our son, taking him to his choice of restaurant and having the discussion in a secluded area there.

It worked better than I had ever imagined. We had a wonderful evening sharing this marvelous secret, and setting the record straight in his mind. There were a few embarassing moments (like when he would look up from the book and say, "really, that's what you do? OK.") and my wife and I were quite nervous.

However, after the discussion our son actually thanked us and said how glad he was to know the truth. We felt a closeness that we have rarely felt with our boy. I truely feel we have created a basis on which our parent/child relationship can build. He now feels he can talk to us about anything and he knows we will be upfront with him. I am now giving this book to all my friends with kids. In my mind, this is how sex education should be taught!

I thought this was a great book to help me focus my thoughts and take a positive approach with my kids on this subject. I am an Ob/Gyn and have no problem talking about the "nuts and bolts" of the subject, but what I appreciated about this book was the help it gave me in introducing the rationale for delayed gratification and how to give my kids an idea of why it is such a special thing. I agree with some reviewers about the discussions on masturbation and homosexuality being a bit intolerant (and unrealistic!) for my taste, but the authors are pretty straightforward about their values and say straight out that parents should take what resonates with them, and disregard what doesn't. I will just modify those topics for my kids, but I found the other 99% of this book very helpful.

We have to say that this is the best book for "How To" we have encountered! It addresses all issues accompanied with sexual perceptions kids deal with today. Getting to the root of WHY parents need to be the 1st to talk and HOW to help children sort out the garbage that can send mixed signals about our relationship with ourselves and others. Moreover, it sends a message that you think your child is so wonderful and your love so great for them, that you will be the 1st to talk to them about it-- regardless if it is at 5, 8 or 10.

We have found 8 is NOT too early to talk about it.... If you have found this book later, then-- it isn't too late. Some of the language is a bit quirky-- but, as with most books, one must speak what comes out best for them. For us.... a "BIG HUG" was not the way to discuss SEX in all of its glory-- so we chose to use the words, "a special part of you". For us, sexual intimacy IS the most personal part of ourselves that we share. Love is the root and if parents don't have love and for themselves, each other, or their children do not feel love or understand what love means, then they will have problems dealing with sex and why it is so special. I agree that ALL children need to know from you that you are committed to your family and them as individuals. Tell them!!!

Sex is wonderful, very special and has a lot of facets that go unnoticed like: Modesty, respecting and protecting our bodies, loyalty, respect in general, and how nature plays a part in WHY sex is great, special and wonderful. The Eyre's touch on all aspects incorporated into sex, leaving out nothing.

Ultimately your timing may be different than theirs, but the concepts and delivery are good ways to get the "talk" done. Highly recommended. Don't miss reading what their children all have to say about the "big talk".

This is the book you have been searching for. I have a 10 year old son and a 7 year old daughter, and some would say I don't need a book about sex yet. Neither my husband nor I received the "talk" from our parents, so I felt I was in much need of some guidance.
I was very pleased with the content and tone of this book.
I couldn't put it down until I finished it.
It has something for each age group from 8 yrs to 19 yr olds.
The insights and guided conversations of how to broach the topic of sex were invaluable. Thanks to Amazon for the recommendation once I arrived to their site, and to the authors for the sharing of their experiences and knowledge. I now feel equipped and excited to answer the questions that I know my 5th Grader will soon throw at me.
Thanks for the opporunity to review this purchase.

I admit, I am a conservative mom. This book gave me just the advice I needed to put things in proper perspective for my child. It may not be applicable to all parents, but I really appreciated the strong moral base.

This book is great. I've bought it at least 3 times and keep lending it to my friends to never get it back. I must say it is not a book directed toward a liberal point of view, it is most definatly a more conservative parents book. If you have a hard time knowing where to start this book is great because it gives you full on conversations, everything you need to say for each stage of your kids life.

This is one of the most helpful parenting books I have read. It has helped me and my friends so much as we have tried to figure out how in the world to address this difficult and possibly embarassing topic with our children. I loved the book because it helped me realize how important honest and open communication is with my children--and how important it is to start now when they are young. I think so many parents tend to skirt around issues like these--or answer questions from their children in such a vague way that the kids won't ask further questions. Because of this book I have realized how much honest and candid communication with my kids will improve our relationship. After reading the book I am actually looking forward to the questions my kids will ask (they are only three and two right now--not too many questions have come up yet).

It makes me sad that so many kids learn about sex from their peers at school. I want my husband and I to be the ones to explain such an important thing to our children. I want to open the communication as the Eyres say so that any time in the future my kids have questions they will always feel comfortable talking about it with me. I want to be able to freely discuss things we see on TV or at the movies--or the things they hear at school. Some of my friends have had "the talk" the Eyres suggest in their book and are amazed at how much it has helped their children and their relationship with them.

My husband and I have four children, and we purchased this book and read it before we gave our oldest, now nearly 18, the "big talk". It has been incredibly helpful to us when formulating our discussions with all of our children and as a result each one of them feels comfortable talking openly and asking even difficult questions of both my husband and I. In reading some of the more negative reviews, I agree that this book is not for everyone - but those parents who talk about the inherent sophistication of children today I think are being disingenuous. You can definitely protect your children's innocence a lot longer by limiting their exposure to television shows that are inappropriately adult. Sexual themes only to serve to confuse a young child who is too young to sort out the difference between lust and love. Read Joseph Chilton Pearce's books and you will understand how imperative it is - and also how many of us abdicate our responsibility to - protect the innocence of our children until they are emotionally equipped to handle the information coming at them.

I loved this book. Like another reviewer, my parents never talked with me about sex. Unlike the other viewer, however, I found this book very helpful. I was so scared to have "The Big Talk" with my children, because I had no idea what to say. When I read this book, I was able to relax about the conversation, and let things come naturally. I'm no longer scared about my children asking questions, because now I have answers.

We are LDS, as are the authors of this book, so having someone coming from the same value perspective as we are, was great. That being said, I think the values of this book would appeal to any family. We followed the advice in the book to start building up to "the talk," and then when the time came, we pretty closely followed the pattern given in the book. It worked out marvelously! We also used the picture book recommended, and that was a great teaching tool.