A GUIDE TO GROWING UP:
Honest Conversations about Puberty, Sex & God
By Sarah Smith, illustrated by Alex Webb-Peploe
Monarch Books. 176 pages. £9.99
ISBN 978 0 857 217 967
When the parents of children in my son’s class were invited into school recently to hear what they would be taught in their sex and relationships lessons, a mum joked: ‘You’re telling them that babies arrive by stork, right?!’
We all laughed and shifted slightly uncomfortably in our seats. It’s not a subject that I look forward to discussing or feel I handle very well.
Useful, warm, honest
A Guide to Growing Up is a useful tool to help these conversations with children. I would suggest that it’s suitable for ages ten and up, but parents will want to review it first and see what they feel is right for their child. I liked the warm, open and supportive tone of the book. It gave a helpful context of God’s good Creation, explained the facts clearly and dealt with the spiritual and relational aspects of sex and attraction well. There was a good balance between the facts about sex and puberty and the focus on our bodies being precious and honouring others and honouring God. I appreciated that all the tough issues such as same sex attraction, sexually transmitted diseases, ‘sexting’ and bullying were included and dealt with honestly.
A few minor criticisms
The format – using cartoons and speech bubbles to present a range of views – alongside Bible verses might not appeal to all. I felt it was helpful to have these views out in the open so you could discuss them with your child. A criticism might be that, in seeking to be open and supportive, the book could be seen as watering down the strength of God’s Word in some places. I felt rather uneasy about the use of ‘Do not judge’ from Matthew 7 as part of the chapter on abortion. However, our children live in a world where they are surrounded by unbiblical messages all the time. This is a book that may woo them towards biblical truth and open the door to a conversation rather than turning a discussion into a confrontation - and that has got to be a good thing.
