TPP 044a: Amy Lang on Sex Education and Differently-Wired Kids

I'm sitting down with sexuality educator and parenting expert Amy Lang for a very frank and open conversation* about sex ed for children—what they need to know, when they need to know it, how to talk about it, and much much more. Amy is passionate about the fact that at its core, sex education is a health and safety issue for our kids. She explains why as our children’s parents and caregivers, it is up to us to initiate and continue to have conversations surrounding sexuality.

Amy Lang is committed to changing and challenging cultural beliefs about children and sexuality. She does this by teaching adults the best and most effective ways to talk, learn, and think about the birds and bees, and provides research-based, high quality keynotes, workshops, webinars, books, and other tools so adults can be true champions for the kids they care for and love. Her website is Birds + Bees + Kids. 

THINGS YOU’LL LEARN FROM THIS EPISODE:

• When parents should have “the talk” about sex (and why the “child-focused” approach of waiting until they ask is wrong)
• The importance of parents reflecting on their own relationship with sex education before talking with their kids
• What children should know by what age
• How to talk to kids who are reluctant to engage in any conversation having to do with sex
• Why differently-wired kids are especially vulnerable / need additional sex education than typically developing kids

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Birds + Bees + Kids (Amy’s website)
• Dating Smarts: What Every Teen Needs to Know to Date, Relate, or Wait by Amy Lang
• Birds + Bees + YOUR Kids: A Guide to Sharing Your Beliefs About Sexuality, Love, and Relationships by Amy Lang
• It’s Not the Stork: A Book About Girls, Boys, Babies, Bodies, Families, and Friends by Robie Harris
• It’s Perfectly Normal: Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health by Robie Harris

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