Considering that we have ten and twelve year old boys I was grateful to read Beth Robinson and Latayne Scott’s new book, “Talking With Teens About Sexuality: Critical conversations about social media, gender identity, same-sex attraction, pornography, purity, dating, etc“!
We have had multiple conversations with our boys about sex, sexuality, and what healthy relationships look like. We still have a lot to learn and this book came at a great time. It was actually amazing that I had someone call me with a question about how to handle a topic with their kids the very day I was reading a chapter on that topic in the book! Thank you God!
First, the book is written by knowledgeable people. Both authors have doctorates and experience in counseling in this area. That shines through in the examples given in the book that come out of clinical practice.
Second, the book is thorough. It covers all the main topics you would hope it would cover and gives simple definitions for the basic terms that parents need to know. The book covers everything from what is normal sexual behavior to how our culture has changed even over the last 5-10 years to same sex attraction, gender identity issues, etc. Consider any awkwardness you feel reading the very direct chapters as warm up to having hard conversations with your children.
All of this is handled from a Christian perspective in an attempt to be faithful to the biblical witness. I appreciate that. I wouldn’t want it any other way.
Third, the book is intensely practical. There are all kinds of tips and exercises for parents to do in every single chapter. These are essential to reading the book and getting the most out of the book. There are questions to ask, ways to engage hard conversations, things to consider from youth culture you may be out of touch with, etc.
You might think that your kids are too young to have these conversations – you could be right. But often our kids are already getting distorted information on these topics as soon as they enter school. I want to be right there guiding them along the way. The idea of the older generations that if you are lucky your parents will explain things one time just isn’t sufficient anymore. Things have changed and we have to get up to speed. Our children’s well being is on the line!
If you want to know how to navigate difficult conversations because you are either needing to have them or are preparing to have them, this is the book for you. If you have hesitated to have the conversations because you don’t feel prepared, this is the book for you!
You can buy the book off amazon at this direct link – Talking With Teens About Sexuality.
