Sex and Sensibility: The Thinking Parent's Guide to Talking Sense About Sex
Is there any topic more controversial than the sexual education of our  children? Parents worry about telling too much or not enough, schools are  restricted in what they're allowed to discuss, and kids are filled with a  combination of surprising misinformation and depressing detail on disease  without ever having been taught about the possible benefits and enjoyment of  feeling comfortable with their bodies. Deborah Roffman, a longtime teacher of  sexual education for both children and adults, has assembled a thorough book  that attempts to address moral and physical issues for every age.The  Thinking Parent's Guide to Talking Sense About Sexis decidedly not for  those whose sex speech begins and ends with "just say no." Roffman's take on  sexual education is that it is a lifelong exploration that should encompass  changing cultural values and an individual's personally evolving ethics as well  as the practical facts of proper health care. Put plainly in one section's  title, "sexuality is about people, not body parts." Including a discussion of  gender roles and history, and appropriate levels of information for everyone  from toddlers to teens, Roffman attempts to cover all the bases with a mix of  theory, historical perspective, personal stories from her own classrooms and  kids, and practice questions and situations that parents can eventually expect  from their children. Breaking down this complicated subject, she identifies five  core needs that all questions fall under: affirmation, information giving,  values clarification, limit setting, and anticipatory guidance. This last  category relates to parents' ultimate goal of making themselves "dispensable,"  secure in the knowledge that their children have been raised with all the  information needed to make the right decisions for themselves--decisions that  will result in a sexual health that blends their emotions, minds, and bodies  with ultimate success.--Jill Lightner--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.