• Home
  • Start Here!
    • Subscribe
    • Topics
    • Top Tips!
  • About
    • Services
    • Contact Us!
    • Media
    • Disclaimer
  • Blog
    • Popular Posts
    • Recipe Index
  • Books
    • RD Book Coaching Services
  • Podcast
  • Privacy Policy
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • RSS Feed

Maryann Jacobsen

Independent Author & Family Nutrition Expert

  • Home
  • Start Here!
    • Subscribe
    • Topics
    • Top Tips!
  • About
    • Services
    • Contact Us!
    • Media
    • Disclaimer
  • Blog
    • Popular Posts
    • Recipe Index
  • Books
    • RD Book Coaching Services
  • Podcast
  • Privacy Policy

Forget Having “The Talk” with Your Child. How to Normalize Sexual Development with Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo [Podcast]

October 6, 2017

Tweet
Pin
Share
Yum
Email
Share

This is Part 3 of my Puberty and Growth Series

Many parents plan to have “the talk” with their children about sex and sexual development at some point. In the movies, this is shown as a grand gesture that happens on one magical day (one parent ask the other “did you have the talk with him?”).

Today’s guest shows us why society has this one all wrong. There isn’t one perfect day we realize it’s time to set our child aside and enlighten her with information. It’s something that should be a natural part of conversations that starts early. After all, the body’s gradual transition from child to adult is completely normal, and younger kids need to learn to expect it while older ones need to understand what’s going on. It sounds easy, but without role models and some type of guide, it’s not.

In Episode 11 of The Healthy Family Podcast, I speak with Elizabeth Trejos- Castillo, PhD., associate professor of human development and family studies at Texas Tech University. She created Normalized Sexual Development, a curriculum for sixth-graders that explains all the changes that go along with puberty, including emotional, cognitive and relationship development. She is an adolescent and human development researcher, and author of two textbooks. She also is a leader in the Teen Straight Talk program in Lubbock and was associate editor of The Journal of Early Adolescence for seven years.

Highlights from the Show

  • The different types of sexual development education programs in public schools, and why they are lacking.
  • What motivated Trejos-Castillo to create the Normalized Sexual Development Curriculum, and how it’s different and more comprehensive.
  • Why it’s important to move beyond educating children about physical changes and sex and also include cognitive, emotional, relational, and social changes that occur during puberty and beyond.
  • The normal part of development that’s hardest on parents — kids moving away from their parents and toward their peers
  • When and how to start talking to your child about sexual development.
  • Why it’s important to answer questions when kids ask them and not put it off until they are old enough.
  • Why teenagers feel empowered and relieved after getting the Normalized Sexual Development Curriculum.
  • The importance of addressing issues of body image including social comparisons, unrealistic media images, peer pressure, and late and early boomers.
  • Why parents need to think of adolescence as a rebirth and relearn how they need to parent like they did at infancy.
  • Teens’ heightened need for risk-taking, and how firm limits and clear guidance helps them stay safe.
  • The one thing Trejos-Castillo wants parents to know about teens that she thinks they don’t know.
  • The importance of not just providing knowledge, but helping adolescents practice and apply the knowledge.
  • Why the home is the most important place for kids to be educated about their sexual development.

Quote from the Show

We want to really emphasize the fact that sexual development is normal, there’s nothing wrong with it. We all have to go through that if we are going to become adults at some point. — Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo

Links

About Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo PhD
Youth: Practices, Perspectives, and Challenges by Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo
Puberty and growth series
Normalized Sexual Development Curriculum 
Books for boys and girls “What is Happening to My Body?”
Reexamining the Evidence: School-based Comprehensive Sex Education In the United States
Episode #10 — tips for communicating with kids
Connect with Elizabeth here 

Duration: 47:23
Download episode
Subscribe via ITunes, Stitcher or RSS

Podcast Music: Corporate Uplifting by Scott Holmes

Posts Included in the Series:
Intro: 6 Things About Puberty and Growth Every Parent Should Know
1. The Stages of Puberty: What Families Can Expect
2. How to Get Your Child Through Puberty Without Hating Their Growing Body
3. How to Normalize Sexual Development with Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo [Podcast]
4. Why Puberty is the Ideal Time to Invest in Bone Health [NEXT]
5. 15 Simple and Delicious Calcium-Rich Recipes for the Whole Family
6. Preventing Eating and Weight-Related Problems in Your Child. Project EAT’s Principal Investigator Dianne Neumark Sztainer [Podcast]
7. Seven Things “Always Hungry” Adolescents Wish Their Parents Knew
8. Nutrition from Head to Toe During Puberty (Part 1)
9. Nutrition from Health to Toe During Puberty (Part 2)
10. 8 Ways to Talk to Kids About Nutrition so They Actually Listen
11. 7 Shifts in Tweens’ Behavior Every Parent Should Know About
12. How to Keep “Cultural Faves” From Ruining Your Tween’s Health and Well Being
13. My Body’s Superpower is Here

Related Posts

  • The Stages of Puberty: What Families Can Expect

    This is Part 1 of my Puberty and Growth Series Few parents relish the thought…

  • Child Development: Is Earlier Always Better?

    I was sitting in the kindergarten introductory class as Little D is supposed to start…

  • How to Communicate and Build a Stronger Relationship with Your Child. Parent Effectiveness Training with Kelly Meier [Podcast]

      There are many ways parents discipline their children including timeouts, withholding devices or toys,…

  • family of three under the covers and feet showing
    Introducing The Healthy Family Podcast

    Welcome to the first episode of The Healthy Family Podcast! In this short-10-minute episode, I…

Tweet
Pin
Share
Yum
Email
Share

Categories: The Healthy Family Podcast Comment

« My New Book: What Does Your Tummy Say?
Fall Dinner Rotation 2017 »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Hi, I’m Maryann…

Hi, I’m a registered dietitian who focuses on developmental stages. Here, you won’t get one-size-fits-all advice. Instead, you’ll get information based on your (and your family’s) age and stage. Make your choice between family and midlife-focused newsletters below and subscribe. Find out more!

Recent Posts

  • Heart Health for Women Over 40 Comes Down to This
  • How to Diet-Proof Your Daughter with Amelia Sherry [Podcast]
  • Yes, Every Midlife Women Should Take a Multivitamin (And Here’s Why)
  • 10 Signs Intermittent Fasting Doesn’t Live Up to the Hype
  • What do the Latest Vitamin D Studies Really Tell Us?

Random Posts

  • The Only Guarantee I Can Make About Your Child’s EatingThe Only Guarantee I Can Make About Your Child’s Eating
  • The Power of Paying Attention at MealsThe Power of Paying Attention at Meals

Categories

Get the books!

The Alliance of Independent Authors - Author Member

Join the Newsletter

Sign up for Maryann’s E-mail Newsletter and get her ebook The Landmines of a Healthy Relationship with Food for FREE. Subscribe now!

Thank you!

You have successfully joined our subscriber list. You're not done. Check your email to confirm your address. After you do that, you'll receive a link for the free e-book.

.

Copyright © 2023 — Maryann Jacobsen • All rights reserved • Powered by Femme Flora. Designed & Developed by BinaryTurf Privacy Policy

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish.OK Privacy Policy
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Non-necessary
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
SAVE & ACCEPT