Forever, by Judy Blume.
That's how I got most of my information on sex and dating and dealing with life as a teen, how about you? How many pages in that book did YOU have dog eared? Probably as many as me and my friends. The funny thing is, as often as we all read that book, we never really knew what we needed to know.
I've had some hard questions from my daughter already. I had some even more difficult ones from my stepdaughter years ago. Written by an OB-GYN and a pediatrician, this is a book that could have been helpful for me in both of those situations.
Using the stories of four girls who have been friends since third grade, the authors of Girlology illustrate the right way to handle situations ranging from diagnosing a yeast infection to STD's, birth control, acne and alcohol. Some of the advice was a bit too "in your face" for me - the section on swallowing semen and "blue balls" made me want to close the book and whip out a rosary. It's information that girls need, though, and I'd rather that they get it from a book like this than their friends. Wait, I'd rather that they get it from me, while we read this book together.
I love that there is a BMI chart in here, and the sentence "Your weight means nothing without taking your height into consideration" is a concept I've been really trying to drill into my girls again and again. The facts on weight and healthy exercise as true, concise and precise. It's a small but powerful section.
Each question is answered in two manners: Once with a short, quick two or three words, and then below,with more detail. There is also a wonderful addition of "Myth Busters", where the authors take on such topics as "You can't get pregnant if..."
I'd definitely recommend this book, maybe to be read in sections with your daughter as she grows up. It's a great place to get all of the information needed, presented in a straightforward factual manner. I do wish it had mentioned abstinence as more than just one method of birth control, but I think that the morals and beliefs of the parents can be added into a discussion. I'd keep this book around the house for my girls to have a safe place to look up the answers to all those embarrassing questions.
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