As parents to a radiant young daughter, these past few years have been a huge learning curve into the work of Sex Positive Parenting! How do we raise children with body autonomy, who know how to ask for and give consent, who can joyfully be in their bodies safely and with confidence?
Here are some of the resources we have gathered in our journey in Sex Positive Parenting.
★ If you want to be a sex-positive influence in the lives of children you know, our top resource recommendation is always SexPositiveFamilies.com – you’ll find comprehensive book lists, conversation guides and so much more.
★ Us adults tend to get confused about consent, but really it is so easy that kids can do it. This video is a quick and easy explanation of consent for ALL ages.
Charlotte and I are six years into our parenting journey, and it has been such an incredible gauntlet of learning and growth for us as parents. Being a parent or caretaker of children is one of the most intense and prolonged creative adventures of our human lifetimes – and central to this journey is teaching another human about love & relationships, pleasure & consent, expression & responsibility. As we try to guide our little humans in these domains, many of us directly confront the limitations of our own comfort and wisdom – so thank goodness we are not alone in the journey of #SexPositiveParenting!
Here are five links for all you amazing parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers and caretakers of beloved youth!
★ Our friends at #SexPositiveFamilies just released a book, an amazing collection of guidance and wisdom, organized so you can easily find the support you need for the kids in your life! Check it out here – order a few copies and give one to another parent in your child’s care network! Order one for your school library or community center! This book will help you confidently start conversations with the kids in your life and the other adults you are in community with. Their website is also an evergreen treasure trove of resources, sortable by topic and age group, so you can quickly find resources to support you. If you have kids in your life, join me in having this website bookmarked and ready to refer to every other adult in your community!
★ It’s never too early to start sharing books that focus on body autonomy, consent and emotional literacy. One series we love and recommend to all parents, grandparents and caregivers are the joyfully illustrated books written by Robie Harris – find the whole series here and ask for them at your local library or from your local indie bookseller! This is another set of books I only buy in multiples, because we are always giving them away!
★ For teenagers in your life (or your inner teenager that is still getting the education and support we all need at that pivotal stage!) we heartily recommend Scarleteen.org – a treasure trove of peer-led information and support for young folk and beyond. Don’t miss resources like their printable zine that becomes a personalized inventory of your erotic needs, it is brilliant (and free! make sure to $upport your community erotic educators!)
★ One way to be a Pleasure Activist and help build a new culture based around consent, pleasure and connection is to talk about sexuality, bodies and consent with the other adults in your life. It can be as easy as forwarding a circle of friends a link to a podcast episode, like our conversation with founder of #SexPositiveFamilies Melissa Carnagey, and text “let’s talk about this sometime! the kids are growing up so fast!” As soon as folks know you are a safe place to talk about intimate things, conversations will start to flow! Folks are hungry for new dialogues and we all want better for the youth in our life!
★ It’s never to late to re-parent ourselves, fill in the gaps where we didn’t receive comprehensive pleasure-based education as youth. It’s never too late to heal the wounds that we carry from our childhood. Here’s a short list of some of our favorite books to flesh out your erotic knowledge. What have you read that filled your well or brought you joy? We always love when you send on your recommendations and favorites!
★ If you want more videos to share with the parents and kids in your life, check out Amaze.
★ If you want a site to share with teenagers, Scarleteen is our most trusted source for safe sex ed that doesn’t undermine the intelligence of teens.
★ The next generation will be exploring gender and sexuality in bold new ways. Check out this instagram feed to revel in the beauty of genderfluid expression.
★ I WISH I had a coloring book like this one when I was a kid. Grab one for a young person you love and know you are opening up much needed breathing room for the kiddo.
