Everything You Never Wanted Your Kids to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid They'd Ask): The Secrets to Surviving Your Child's Sexual Development from Birth to the Teens

(Paperback)

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Written by two Harvard-trained doctors, this one-of-a-kind survival guide helps parents stay sane through every stage of their child's sexual development from infancy to the teen years and beyond. Our generation was supposed to have sex all figured out. We knew it was healthy. We were too cool to ever get flustered. Then we had kids. And when those kids showed up with sexual ambitions of their own, suddenly we didn't feel so cool anymore. In fact, the confusion, fear, and (let's face it) outright panic we felt the moment our five-year-olds started asking, Mommy, do you like to rub your wiener, tooo might have done our own parents proud. Well, understanding kids' sexuality doesn't have to be an angst-ridden enterprise. With confidence, wisdom, and humor, Dr. Justin Richardson, a psychiatrist and noted consultant on youth and sex, and Dr. Mark A. Schuster, a pediatrician and leading researcher on parenting strategies and adolescent sexuality, help us regain our equilibrium with this remarkable book. Smart, frank, and occasionally hilarious, this comprehensive guide offers practical and often surprising answers to the questions that bedevil parents at every stage in their children's coming-of-age. What do you say when your four-year-old daughter walks in on you having sex What about when you walk in on her and the girl next door finger painting each other's bottoms What, exactly, should you tell your third-grader about sex, and if he says, That's gross!o does that mean you've said too much And what about teenagers Should you buy your son condoms Should you try to prevent your daughter from having sex Does telling her to wait actually work Drs. Richardson and Schuster tackle these and countless other crucial challenges you're likely to face in the first twenty or so years of your children's lives. Packed with the latest research on parenting techniques and childhood sexuality and filled with helpful stories from real parents about what worked (and what didn't) with their kids, this authoritative volume offers advice and comfort to anyone who is hoping to have a productive dialogue with young people about sex. Whether your focus is on protecting your teens from STDs or raising your little ones to understand their bodies, Everything You Never Wanted Your Kids to Know About Sex (But Were Afraid They'd Ask) is an indispensable resource that is sure to leave you educated, entertained, and relieved.

Reviews

A wonderfully sophisticated set of answers to the questions that make even the most confident of parents squirm! These two experts have crafted the essential guide to managing the vast array of challenges involving kids and sex. Simultaneously wise and funny, this highly accessible book will help parents safely through what might otherwise seem like a thicket of anxiety and confusion. A must-read for every thoughtful and caring parent.
William Pollack, author of Real Boys and codirector of the Center for Men at McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical Center

A comprehensive and factual resource on a very delicate subject presented in a humorous and entertaining style. The authors cover all the bases, but do so with a light and sensitive touch. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to the parents of my patients.
Joe M. Sanders, M.D., executive director of the American Academy of Pediatrics

I wished I had asked these questions. A sensitive and intelligent look at sexuality written with candor and creativity, this book will open the discussion for all the important issues. Wendy Wasserstein, author of Shiksa Goddess and The Heidi Chronicles

In their warm, non-judgmental way, Justin Richardson and Mark Schuster guide us through our children's sexual development with the perfect mix of humor, wisdom, and straightforward information. I highly recommend this book for every parent.
Ruth Bell, coauthor of Changing Bodies, Changing Lives

Author Bio

JUSTIN RICHARDSON, M.D., is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Columbia and Cornell universities and a well-known authority on kids and sex. MARK A. SCHUSTER, M.D., PH.D., is an associate professor of pediatrics and public health at UCLA, codirector of the Center for Child and Adolescent Health Research at RAND, and director of the UCLA/RAND Center for Adolescent Health Promotion. From the Hardcover edition.