Talking to your kids about sex

Be sure to look for these titles in the Go Parents! series:

Teaching Your Children Good Manners will help make teaching your children the basics of good manners an entertaining and (relatively) painless experience.

Kid Disasters and How to Fix Them takes on the common–and not so common–household disasters kids can cause, and provides hands-on, common sense solutions that really work.“At last, a guide for beleagured parents who want to talk to their children about ‘the facts of life’ but are uncertain even about how to begin. This accessible and entertaining book provides just the right blend of advice, activities and answers for an often-daunting task. Filled with warmth and humor, it is respectful to the range of parenting styles and to the developmental needs of children. Inthis sex-saturated culture, where peers and media provide so much of the (mis)information kids get, help for parents is here!”
—Martha B. Straus, Ph.D. Clinical psychologist and author of No-Talk Therapy forChildren and Adolescents

“I was delighted to read Lauri Berkenkamp and Steven Atkins’ new book, Talking to Your Kids About Sex, which is truly the best I have read on the subject. TalkingTo Your Kids About Sex provides parents with all of the information they need about what to expect from their children, developmental reference points, frequently asked questions, and exceptional suggestions about the ways in which parents can help their children learn to appreciate, respect, and protect their bodies. Berkenkamp and Atkins present examples and points of information that aremasterfully designed to diminish a parent’s anxiety in dealing with the questions and issues pertaining to the topic of sexuality. They accomplish this in witty, humorous, and quietly brilliant style.”
—Dr. Mary Lamia, host of KidTalk with Dr. Mary as heard on Radio Disney AM 1310 KMKY and AM 1470 KIID

a Go Parents! guide

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Nomad Press A division of Nomad Communications 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1Copyright © 2002 Nomad Communications All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. The trademark “Nomad Press” and the Nomad Press logo are trademarks of Nomad Communications, Inc. “a Go Parents! guide™” is a trademark of Nomad Communications, Inc. Printed inthe United States. ISBN 0-9659258-3-8 Questions regarding the ordering of this book should be addressed to The Independent Publishers Group 814 N. Franklin St. Chicago, IL 60610 Cover artwork and interior illustrations by Charles Woglom, Big Hed Designs Design by Bruce Leasure Edited by Susan Hale and Anna Typrowicz Nomad Press, PO Box 875, Norwich, VT 05055 www.nomadpress.net

For Mom, becausereading the instructions inside the box of tampons just wasn’t enough sex education. —LBe

To all the proactive parents who are striving to help keep their children safe and healthy. —SCAe

Acknowledgements
I owe many thanks to friends and family who have provided the often-funny, honest anecdotes that are the foundation for much of the book. Special thanks to Lisa Fagan, Leslie Connolly,Susan Hale, Rachel Benoit, and Anna Typrowicz for their stories, ideas, feedback, and edits. Thanks also to everyone at Nomad Press for their hard work and good humor throughout the process of writing, editing, and producing this book. I have great admiration for Steven Atkins’ clinical skills and his commitment to his patients, and loved working with him on this project. Finally, thank youRichard, Sasha, Noah, and Simon for your curiosity, questions, and incredible patience the countless times I said, “Kids, I’m writing this book and I need to ask you a couple of questions . . .” —LB

I would like to express my deepest appreciation to my current and former clients. I have learned and continue to learn most from you, my teachers. Thank you for sharing your personal narratives, which...