Reviewing “Shameless Parenting” by Tina Schermer Sellers.
My husband and I read this book together and felt it was a really good foundation for raising our children to understand their sexuality, to be well educated around their sexuality and to express their sexuality in healthy ways (or that is the goal).
The information in this booklet is specifically age-appropriate, giving parents a summary of what is developmentally appropriate for children ranging from toddlers to age eighteen. Readers can easily turn to the age-group of their children and find ideas for talking points with their children. Our children need ongoing conversation around consent, gender and sexuality and Tina points to ongoing sex-education as more beneficial than a once-off “sex talk.”
This booklet challenges parents to deal with their own shame and embarrassment around sexuality so that they can, in fact, be in regular ongoing conversation with their children about sex and sexuality. It is a helpful starting point for parents on a journey toward becoming better sex-educators and advocates for their children, especially if this wasn’t something they experienced while they were being parented themselves and feel inadequate to do. This resource equips parents to evolve further than the previous generation of parents, so that our children can also go forward and do better than us!
Shameless Parenting is also a quick and easy go-to if your child approaches you with questions or comments that you are a little unsure or uncomfortable about. The book is quite succinct, but shares extensive lists of resources for parents to investigate as they continue on the journey of becoming better sex-educators for their children.