3 out of 4 stars
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Anyone who has ever been a teenager, raised a teenager, or even met a teenager knows that there is an instinctive distrust and reserve that blocks communication between teens and adults. At the same time, adults play a vital role in mentoring, protecting, informing, and guiding teenagers into their own adulthoods. With few topics can this guidance be more important than with human sexuality. Teena Drake’s book Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby is all about helping adults bridge the gap between themselves and the teenagers and pre-teens who depend on them so that a healthy conversation about sex can begin.
Teena Drake is a middle school teacher who found herself unexpectedly thrust into the role of educating her pre-teen students about sexuality. She was shocked at their lack of factual knowledge and concerned that many of her students felt uncomfortable talking with their parents about the topic. At the same time, pop culture not only introduces sex to children and teenagers, but it also tends to misinform, encourages unsafe practices, and neglects to teach about long-term consequences. Ms. Drake found out that fewer and fewer schools are incorporating any kind of sexual education into the curriculum, and too few parents are effectively stepping up to the metaphorical plate. Creating a healthy, open discussion about sexuality will, according to Ms. Drake, help pre-teens and teenagers stay safe, develop a healthy self-esteem and body image, and enter into enriching relationships in the future.
Ms. Drake’s book is written in an informal, conversational style. There are asides, pictures, and occasional humor to lighten a very serious topic. Although it is obvious that the author has a religious background, the book is far from judgmental. Parents’ expectations for their children’s sexuality and acceptable behaviors are allowed and even expected to differ widely, but communication between parents and children is critical regardless. The downside of this informal writing style is the lack of editing. There are missing commas, sentence fragments, and occasional wrong words. These errors certainly don’t hinder comprehension, but they do create a distraction at times.
Though the book is short, it effectively fulfills its mission of both alerting parents to the problem and introducing some strategies for more effective communication. In addition, the author concludes the book by pointing out a few resources and organizations that she has found most effective regarding this subject matter. This allows parents and mentors to further their own research if they feel the need, and gives them a guidance system of their own for questions and concerns that may arise. It also lends credibility to a non-fiction book when there is an indication that the advice and concerns will be corroborated by an outside source.
I would like to give Teena Drake’s book 3.5 stars, but I’m not allowed, so I must rate Let’s Talk About Sex, Baby 3 out of 4 stars. If the book were professionally edited, I would probably have raised the rating. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is in regular contact with pre-teens or teenagers. Even if this conversation is not your responsibility, it is wiser to be prepared for the discussion. Ms. Drake was caught by surprise, and she found that two of her middle school students were becoming parents already. Maybe by becoming more proactive and more willing to seem as stupid as teenagers know we are, adults can really make a difference for a teenager’s future.
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Let's Talk About Sex, Baby
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