Talking to Your Kids About Sex: turning "the talk" into a conversation for life [Paperback]

Laura Berman (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 21, 2009

Discover how and when to teach your kids all they need to know about sexual health.
Talking to your child about sex can be a straightforward and rewarding experience. You just need to be equipped with the right tools: clear, easy-to-explain information; age-appropriate questions; good-timing; and an open, honest manner. Renowned therapist and educator Dr. Laura Berman gives you these tools to open up the lines of communication and make the talk a unique bonding experience for parent and child.
- Learn how to establish and share your family values around sex in every conversation
- Discover how to explain big ideas such as conception and birth, puberty, and gender
- Find out how to help your child develop a healthy, confident body image and self-esteem
Preparing your child for a healthy sexual future is one of the best gifts you can give him or her. Provide all the crucial information your child needs from infancy through the late teen years with Dr. Berman s resourceful, reassuring, and age-appropriate guide.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Dr. Berman offers an elegantly laid-out essential guide for when and what to teach your kids about sex. --Dr. Mehmet Oz

About the Author

Dr Laura Berman is a best-selling author and renowned sex therapist and educator. She is the founder and director of the Berman Center in Chicago, which specializes in sexual health, and she is assistant clinical professor of psychiatry and obstetrics/ gynecology at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. Dr Berman has appeared in the pages of nearly every major US magazine, including Glamour, Elle, and Ladies' Home Journal, as well as in the New York Times and USA Today. She has frequently appeared on radio and television, including the Today Show , the Oprah Winfrey Show , and is the host of The Dr. Laura Berman Show on Oprah Radio. She is the author of four books, including, the New York Times bestselling Real Sex for Real Women and For Women Only.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: DK Publishing (September 21, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0756657385
• ISBN-13: 978-0756657383
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #37,570 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dr. Laura Berman is a clinical assistant professor of OB/GYN and psychiatry at the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University and the director of the Berman Center in Chicago, which helps women repair their sex lives. She is the coauthor of the New York Times bestseller For Women Only and Secrets of the Sexually Satisfied Woman.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book on this topic! March 14, 2011

By Nissa

Format:Paperback

This book has all the basic info on a variety of issues. When reading a book about talking with children it is good for the book to be to the point (because that's how we talk to children). And this book is great for reading with your children (using various anatomy diagrams).

I would say this is the best book I found on this issue, and it can be used by anyone (whatever their own family values or issues are).

Another reviewer said this book is only good for people that are clueless or embarrassed about talking to their kids about sex.

Actually this book is very healing and excellent for anyone that had a childhood that was less than ideal in the area of sexuality. I am not clueless or embarrassed by sex, but I was introduced to sex at the age of 5 through child abuse and that went on for a while. As a result of that my teen years were often painful in the area of discovering my own sexuality. I am now in a wonderful, healthy, loving, passionate relationship for over a decade and a half. When I thought about this issue of sex and abuse (now that I am a parent) it would bring me back to my own childhood memories and I would have overwhelming PTSD symptoms and begin to shake, have trouble talking and breathing, feel nausea and dizzy.

At the beginning of each chapter in this book it has questions for both parents to reflect on and heal from her/his own experiences, giving advice on how to deal with that (and how to talk with your children without bringing your own issues into it). The book is written by Laura Berman, a woman/psychologist/parent with a positive view on sexuality and she shows what a healthy parent-child relationship should be like (this is something a person may not have experienced in their own childhood). She is also very compassionate.

It shows how to start with instilling a positive sense of their own body into a child (which is not always clear if you are a person that was sexualized as a child), and then from there how to teach safety and then to also talk about sexuality in ways that don't always relate to abuse. There are pictures through out the book of happy, healthy children, teens and mothers and fathers. This book is very HEALING and it is RESTORATIVE.

After reading this book I no longer feel fear for my children. I feel relaxed, happy and I look forward to all the talks I will be having with my girls.

Her info about how hormonal changes/growth impacts a child's emotions was extremely helpful. As well as her awareness of brain development.

I also bought the book Amazing You!: Getting Smart About Your Private Parts and read it with my girls. They loved it! They felt confident and happy with their bodies, they received info about safety without being scared or having a negative view on sexuality (I was able to add to the info because I took the darkness to light training which teaches adults about protecting children from sex abuse). They learned about boy bodies and asked lots of questions. And it has great info on conception, pregnancy and birth. They already knew a lot about that because my first daughter was there for my second daughter's home birth and she watched me nursing her sister. So, this is a topic they know a lot about and have very positive feelings about. The book is basic, which allows the parent to elaborate on things (something I felt very confident about after reading Laura Berman's book), and to continue the conversation later as they grow. Laura Berman recommended The Care & Keeping of You: The Body Book for Girls (American Girl Library). I am also going to purchase that book for my girls. My daughters and I already love The Feelings Book: The Care & Keeping of Your Emotions (American Girl) and other books in the American Girl Series. Another book that compliments Laura Berman's book and that I recommend is Respect: A Girl's Guide to Getting Respect & Dealing When Your Line Is Crossed. I also recommend that parents take this into consideration: The Purity Myth: How America's Obsession with Virginity Is Hurting Young Women.

Laura Berman's parenting advice resonates with my own parenting very well (and validated the things I had already learned from my own reflection on my past). Reading this book felt like a breath of fresh air. Her advice applies to many areas of parenting and communication (not just when talking about sexual issues).

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, every parent must have one! December 19, 2009

By Campos Marroquin De Ma VINE™ VOICE

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I'm a mother of teenagers, and I already had one book about Sex and Kids. But since I'm a huge fan of Dr. Berman, I decided to buy one, and I'm absolutely happy with the purchase.

It's a different approach, it's absolutely a must have for parents and teachers as well. It's a complete different point of view, and it's very relevant for the difficult times we are facing as parents. It's an extraordinary tool to turn "the talk" into a conversation for life.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Common Sense. Should be required reading. April 15, 2011

By Adrianne Foreman

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I have recommended this to all of my mama friends. Finally a common sense approach to talking openly with your kids about all aspects of sex. I'll admit, as liberal and open-minded as I claim to be, I still had my own hang-ups when discussing this stuff. This book was an excellent aid in helping me get over my own issues. I truly wish that there was something like this for my mother to read when I was young. Thank you Dr. Berman for breaking down barriers.