Beyond the Birds and Bees

Unquestionably, parents want their children to be armed with scientifically accurate sexual education. However, many parents also lack the information, tools and skill to be able to engage in these complex conversations with their children in an effective manner. This book aims to educate parents about key issues surrounding sexual health so that they may be better equipped to engage in age-appropriate, evidence-based, informed discussions with their children in order to optimize sexual health and reduce risk behaviors across their childhood development into young adulthood. This book also aims to take a more inclusive approach to sexuality, capturing the unique concerns and questions related to modern sexuality, including: issues related to social media and the internet, topics related to consent and personal safety, unique concerns in the LGBTQ+ community, optimizing safety for those who chose to be sexually active, effectively promoting abstinence, and accessing appropriate healthcare resources and information. Each chapter will include information about a different sexuality-related topic. Chapters will begin with content aimed at parents including: scientific content basics, general issues related to the topic, key definitions/vocabulary and slang, laws and policies related to the topic, debate, and FAQs. These sections are each written in an accessible format, aimed at parents with little to no background on the topics. The next section of each chapter will include a summary of what children should know about each topic. This will be based on expert recommendation and evidence-based guidelines. Each chapter will conclude with a discussion of content progression, with guidelines including what children should know at each stage of development. The particularly unique aspect of the text is that it does not shy away from controversial and sensitive topics, diving into questions that many parents are afraid to ask.