I promised today's post to parents - mentoring help for how and when to talk to your children about their sexuality.
I'm going to shotgun some resources today for healthy biblical approaches to sexuality, including resources for parents, single adults, newlyweds, and those who are sexually addicted. Some of them may be a bit dated, so if you look them up on Amazon, look for 'those who bought this also bought...' for similar, newer books from a Christian perspective:
FOR PARENTS: Here is the entire series Angie and I read along with our boys through their different stages of development. We took the wisdom from friends and started our 'birds and bees' talks early - being age appropriate each time, building up into adolescence. Because Angie and I were the first to talk with each son about his body, sexuality, and eventually adolescent changes and sexual morality - there was little to no embarassment on their part. Mostly openess and curiosity. Because we used this series of books as our guide (simply reading to each boy, out on the futon of our back porch, during the recommended age range), Angie and I also had little to no anxiety. We simply had to make the time for it during bed-time reading. Because the content overlapped and developed over time, I think it was more effective learning for them, as opposed to a one-shot high-anxiety talk with us about sex. These books are written for parent and child to read and discuss together. I highly recommend these:
"The Story of Me." Designed for ages 3-5 and using age-appropriate illustrations, this book explains to children the marvelous body God gave them.
"Before I was Born (God's Design for Sex)," by Carolyn Nystrom (and EPC elder in IL), explains in age-appropriate language the basic nature of sexual intercourse between husband and wife, and discusses the basics of conception, childbirth and more for children ages 5-8. THIS ONE IS CRITICAL TO COVER IN THIS AGE RANGE.
