A Chicken's Guide to Talking Turkey with Your Kids About Sex

Honest Advice for Parents on How to Have “The Talk”

Kevin Leman, Kathy Flores Bell

• Publisher: Zondervan
• Year: 2009
• eBook ISBN:
  9780310865872
• Subtopic: Sexuality & Gender in Religion

You're already establishing a track record with your kid by how you listen, by what you say when you're angry, and by how you treat your spouse. We like to surprise parents who ask us, "When do I start talking about sex?" The answer is, you've already started.As difficult as talking with your child about sex, peer pressure, and self-image may seem, you can do it—and you must. Your child's future depends on it. Fortunately, you've got plenty of guidance and insight available in A Chicken's Guide to Talking Turkey with Your Kids about Sex.Family psychologist Dr. Kevin Leman and sexuality educator Kathy Flores Bell guide you safely along the sometimes rocky road of pubescence as your child heads toward adolescence. This practical and engaging book covers his or her development not just from the waist down, but also from the neck up, where the important decisions about sex are made. Illustrated with real life scenarios, this book is filled with practical knowledge and biblical wisdom. It is a book of firsts: first bra, first shave, first period, first nocturnal emission, first school dance, first discussion about relating to the opposite sex. A Chicken's Guide takes on the difficult things parents face with their kids today, such as dating relationships, sexual activity and "rite of passage" attitudes, STDs, molestation, and more. Leman and Bell take you beyond sex education and frank conversations to cultivating a relationship with your child. Get ready to acquire some unanticipated life skills in the process. Moms, discover how to buy that first athletic supporter for your son in Little League. Dads, learn how to navigate the feminine hygiene aisle at the supermarket for your daughter. You'll do more than meet your child's physical needs. You'll create the trust, support, and security he or she needs in your relationship. And in turn, you'll gain a credible voice on such intimate topics as what sexual intercourse is and why to abstain from sex until marriage.With Bell's expert yet simple knowledge of the dynamics of human sexuality and Dr. Leman's winsome, lighthearted approach, you'll gain confidence for those difficult but essential talks. Here are the tools you need to help your kids not only understand their growing bodies, but cope with the temptations and social pressures that go with them.

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Table of Contents
• Acknowledgments
• 1. It’s a Tough Job, but Someone Has to Do It
• 2. Parenting Pitfalls in Puberty:  Why Parents Don’t Talk about Sex
• 3. “He’s Doing What Daddy Taught Him to Do”: Creating a  Home Environment That Will Grow Sexually Healthy Kids
• 4. Peer-Pressure Panic: Understanding and Confronting  the Roots of Peer Pressure
• 5. Make Your Kid Your Hero: How to Be a Positive Influence  in Your Pubescent’s Life
• 6. Kitchen-Table Sex Ed
• 7. First Base—Changes from the Neck Up: Teaching Your  Child to Care for His or Her Face and Hair
• 8. Second Base—Changes from the Neck to the Waist:  Teaching Your Child to Deal with Overall Body Changes
• 9. Third Base—Female Changes from the Waist Down:  Helping Your Daughter Understand Her Reproductive System
• 10. Third Base—Male Changes from the Waist Down:  Helping Your Son Understand His Reproductive System
• 11. Home Plate—The Big “It”: Talking to Your Pubescent Child about Sexual Intercourse
• 12. Wonka Sex—Building a Bridge to Adolescence:  Talking to Your Child about Abstinence
• Appendix 1: Working with Your School and the Sex-Ed Teacher
• Appendix 2: What to Do If Your Child Is Already Sexually Active
• Notes
• Recommended Resources
• About the Publisher