This approach to
sexuality and how it is sacred, and to be treated as such, is a wonderful
resource for parents, who want their children to learn about how they are
created in God’s image. The author Carolyn Smith and her husband of 42+ years,
Jim, have had plenty of experience teaching their children about the facts of life
from a Godly standpoint. They are
parents of eight daughters, two sons, and grandparents of 15 (and
counting). In essence this guide saves you the trouble of summarizing Man and Woman He Created Them: A Theology of the Body by Blessed Pope John Paul II so that your kids would understand it. (I recommend everyone read the previously mentioned work. Outside of the Bible itself, it’s the book I’ve found has the most powerful of description God’s love for us.) The basics of God’s love for us as it’s expressed in the Trinity and through husband and wife to their children are covered. There’s a section specifically for moms talking with their daughters and one for fathers who are talking with their sons about the Christ-centered “facts of life.”
I sincerely wish this had been the introduction I had to sexuality. Through no fault of my parents or my own, at a friend’s house when I was still pretty young (probably 6 or 7), I came across what I thought based on the drawings on the cover was a children’s book. As a lover of books, I opened it, did my best to read it, and looked at the drawings which really shocked me. I honestly can’t remember if I said anything to my parents about having seen the book because I felt so surprised and embarrassed by what was in it. I still don’t know why my friend’s parents had that book laying out in their family room since their oldest child was a little younger than I was at the time.
Do your children and yourselves a favor, and put God in the center of the equation from the beginning and add age-appropriate details about the sanctity of sexuality as your kids grow older.
For more info about Growing Up in God’s Image and/or to order your own copy, click here.
