Talking with Your Teen About Sex: A Practical Guide for Catholics

Deanna Bartalini looks at a new book about how to talk to your teens about sex and believes it will help you more than you can imagine.  

Talking with Your Teen About Sex: A Practical Guide for Catholics

by Julia Sadusky
Ave Maria Press

I have quite a few books on my list for summer reading.  Okay, it’s more than a few. So when I received Talking with Your Teen About Sex: A Practical Guide for Catholics by Julia Sadusky from Ave Maria Press I put it aside. I do not have teens any longer, I have grandchildren. The grandchildren are not anywhere near their teen years and I’d like to leave these conversations to their parents. 

Then I decided to flip through and take a look at the table of contents. Intrigued, I looked at the back cover copy and someone I know had written an endorsement. Finally, while I worked on another project, a question came up about how to talk to children about pornography.  

I read the book 

This book will equip parents to teach their children about sex. Sadusky wants to help parents help teens “embody greater sexual wholeness and freedom as they mature.” She begins though, with parents taking a look at themselves and the messages, both healthy and unhealthy, they have about sex.   

Sadusky provides many examples from her work as a licensed clinical psychologist to lead parents to figure out the messages they want to convey to their teens. It is far more than a list of what not to do. It is about conveying the message that we are created by God in a particular way with a purpose. 

Topics Covered 

Sadusky begins with the changes that occur in our bodies at puberty. But she does not simply say what the changes are; she gives a script so you can say things clearly and straightforwardly. She even tells you how to bring up the subject. And when to start the conversation. Sooner rather than later. The book is geared toward 10- to 18-year-olds.  

The range of topics is impressive, and each one is necessary: puberty, preparing your teen for puberty in general, pornography, dating, sexual orientation, gender issues, technology, and more. All of this is done in line with what the Catholic Church teaches about sexuality.  

This a book that you will use as your teen goes from puberty to college. Each chapter contains excellent real-life examples, many talking points to use in conversations, key terms, and questions to ask your teen. 

Why I recommend this book 

I once worked as an abstinence educator as part of a grant in our diocese. We went to various schools and youth programs to teach why it was best to wait until marriage to become sexually active. While I read this book, I thought about our approach. We had talked about the negative, such as disease and emotional problems. It was missing something important. This book teaches about the whole person growing and changing and developing into a mature adult.  

As a parent, I did my best to have honest and open discussions with my children. It was a bit simpler then, as social media and smartphones were not a part of their teen years. And the internet was not the draw it is now (AOL dialup, anyone?). Even so, I wish I'd had this book when I was raising my teens. It would have been a huge help to frame things more positively. 

Who Needs this Book? 

Of course, parents need this book; anyone who works with youth as a teacher, catechist, or youth minister also needs it. I could make a longer list, but instead, I’ll say this: if you have teens coming to you for advice or to be heard and understood; if you are in a position of influence, read this book.  

Kudos to Julia Sadusky for an excellent book. 

If you have younger children, take a look at Start Talking to Your Kids about Sex: A Practical Guide for Catholics, also by Julia Sadusky. 

Is this a book you'd like to read? Share your thoughts with the Catholic Mom community! You'll find the comment box below the author's bio and list of recommended articles.

Copyright 2024 Deanna Bartalini
Images: Canva
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