Learn How to Talk to Your Kids About Sex

One of the joys of parenting is getting to teach your kids all about sex.  Some may say that is also a big drawback of being parents, but they haven’t heard about Amy Lang of Birds + Bees + Kids.  Amy’s mission in life is to help parents, no matter what your comfort level, learn how to communicate with their kids about sex in the framework of their own values.  Don’t know how to start the conversation? Amy has scripts for many topics.  Wandering when best to start talking to your kids?  Amy breaks down age groups and appropriate topics for each group.  Dot Girl has also partnered with Amy on her class Period Prep for Parents of Girls and we learn something every time!  So if you keep putting off this task, we suggest you check out Amy’s website and get going.  Remember, the kids want to hear it from you.

Eat Around the World

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to take your kids on an around the world adventure sampling food from different cultures?  I found one mom doing this without even leaving her town of Tulsa, Oklahoma.  Sasha Martin of Global Table Adventure is cooking recipes from one country at a time, one week at a time while helping her family and her readers learn about international food like a local.  Her blog includes recipes for the featured meal of the week, techniques on how to cook different food and even an interactive map tracking her alphabetical progress as she cooks across the globe.  And not to worry, Sasha does all her shopping locally, and you can too.  What a fun way to teach your kids about the world and how food, common to us all, is cooked and prepared.  You can even expand on the meal concept and explore the culture further – what are schools like in the country of the week, what do kids do for fun on the weekends, what music is popular and even how girls celebrate their first periods, one more example that we each have so much in common with each other no matter what country we live in.

What movies will win the Oscar?

When we were growing up in the very small town of Gilroy, CA, a frequent Saturday treat was to take in an afternoon movie.  Our parents would drop us off at the Strand Theater downtown where for 25 cents we could see the latest Disney film.  My two favorites to this day were The Love Bug and The Incredible My Limpit with the ever lovable Mr. Don Knotts.

I still like to go to the movies and this year I saw two that are very appropriate for older tweens.  To my delight, both received several Academy Award nominations for the picture and the actors.  The Help is the first movie I would recommend.  I had already read the book by Kathryn Stockett and enjoyed the movie thoroughly.  The story of African American maids in the 1960’s South who come together for a writing project organized by a white college graduate whose own family maid had been forced to leave the family leaves movie goers with a strong sense of the importance of human dignity.  These maids raised the white children, changing their diapers, taking care of them when they were sick, witnessing their first day of school, their first dates and most likely helping the girls with their first period.  Set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement, we learn about the individual stories that spurred the movement for equal treatment for African Americans in this country.

And the second movie is The Descendants, a story of a father trying to connect with his two daughters while his wife lays dying from a tragic boat accident.  The youngest daughter is going through typical pre-teen stuff – teasing other girls, making fun of her older sister – while the older daughter tries to forgive her mother for having an affair.  Both girls only want guidance from their dad as they go through the loss of their mother.  And in the end, we learn that what matters is family ties and being there for each other during life’s adversities.  So take the kids to the movies on a Saturday afternoon and let us know your favorites.

For the Savvy Teenage Girl

We are often asked to recommend books for older girls who may have already experienced a couple of years of periods.  We are happy to have found one to pass on to you –  Cycle Savvy by Toni Weschler, MPH.  The book is subtitled The Smart Teen’s Guide to the Mysteries of Her Body and the book delivers with chapters on ‘Your Amazing and Awesome Body’, ‘How to Observe and Chart Your Cycle’, and ‘Now That You Know: From Cycle Savvy to Sex Smart’.  The Appendixes cover additional information that will help teenagers navigate the world of birth control and sexually transmitted infections.  Although these topics may be uncomfortable for parents to broach, they are still very important and necessary for girls to know.  A favorite saying in our household has always been ‘knowledge is protection’ especially where personal health and safety are concerned.  You may read more about the book and the author here.