46 of 47 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Solid Book for a Parent and Adolescent to go Through Together, March 31, 2008
This review is from: What's Happening to My Body? Book for Boys: Revised Edition (Paperback)
Previous reviews have knocked this book for presenting anatomical drawings, medical descriptions, and even slang - assumably for teaching too much. While I understand the fear a parent feels, I believe the presentation is appropriate. Further it seems important that an adolescent know these terms. They will be used by teachers and schoolmates increasingly from Junior High forward. An adolescent who does not know them will be left to their own imagination. An adolescent who has been taught the terms with the help of caring parent will feel safe. Further by going through the book together a parent can teach the child what terms are appropriate and that sexuality is something to be respected, not feared. (Parents, please don't make sexuality a frightening taboo - it will just drive your child to experience it inappropriately.)
As another review points out this book is somewhat academically written. I believe this is because the book is designed for a parent and adolescent to go through together. I would suggest presenting parts of this book beginning as early as 10 but no later than 13 - as the parent feels the child is ready for the information. There is a companion workbook that is written more in an adolescent's language - for them to read alone.
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27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Read it myself years ago, it's a good book., December 17, 2009
This review is from: What's Happening to My Body? Book for Boys: Revised Edition (Paperback)
You don't read a book like this to your kid, you give it to your kid and let him go off and read it himself and ask you questions later if he wants. My mom got me this book when I was a lad and I read it cover to cover. It was exactly what I needed.
I remember this part of my life well, so let me give you a little advice. Boys entering this part of their lives are best given a book like this and then LEFT ALONE to read it on their own terms. DON'T be overbearing and try to have some long-winded discussion with him about sexual topics. Trust me, he will get embarrassed and then he will hate you for prying into something that he needs to figure out separately from you (with the help of this book, which is great. In fact, I would think about getting him more than one book. Something on relationships, perhaps, when he's a few years older.) If you overstep your bounds, he will just think, "God, this is so terrible. I wish this horrible awkward train-wreck of a conversation was over already." Then he'll tune you out, defeating the purpose of the conversation and replacing it with awkwardness and resentment. If you have to give him "The Talk," just keep it REALLY BRIEF, and hand them this book at the end of it.
By picking up some education on the subject from this author, he's getting it from someone who is a disinterested third party, someone whose expectations he doesn't have to live up to, et cetera. The person who wrote this book isn't going to read over his shoulder about things that he naturally finds embarrassing. It's a safe environment. If your boy is reading this book by himself, he doesn't have to worry about being judged. He doesn't have to keep his guard up, or worry about any social considerations. He doesn't have to demure to the author because he doesn't want to hurt the author's feelings. See how perfect it is? It's the best possible way for him to learn about this. Just make it clear that you're giving him space on this issue, and that you will answer any questions he has. Obviously you don't want to turn him loose on the world without supervision, but this is one of those cases where it will greatly benefit him to know that he has the time and space to figure this out on his own. If he wants to know something, and he knows he can ask you about it without it turning into a big obnoxious lecture, he'll be more likely to ask.
You want to give him some advice? Tell him to stay away from attention whores and crazies, and not to invest his entire happiness into whether some other person loves him or not. You'll be doing him a huge favor.
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27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
What's Happening to My Body - book for boys, September 3, 2007
This review is from: What's Happening to My Body? Book for Boys: Revised Edition (Paperback)
The purpose of the book for me was to read it to a 10 year old boy, to help him understand what was happening to his body and to explain sex and sexual feelings. It is written by someone who taught the subject and rather than have it as a readable book, it's more instructional and explains the author's way of teaching the subject part of the time and then it seems to become more of a book you'd read to a child entering puberty. Some areas are good and detailed and some things are written in a corny way. I would rate the book on a scale of 1 to 10 as maybe a 3. What I've had to do is read a chapter first, and then scan it as I'm explaining it to my 10 year old boy. It does cover the territory.
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