Elkanah House PARENT ED with Christy Herselman
Tue Aug 6, 08:30 - Tue Aug 6, 10:30
Cafe at Elkanah House High School campus
ABOUT
Come join us for a cup of coffee and a chat!
Talking to our kids about sex is hard, mostly because of our own upbringings and misconceptions. But the digital world our children are growing up in makes
it more important than ever that parents have open, on-going conversations with their children about sex. This talk will help parents understand why, when and how to have these conversations and includes an age guide from 2 years old & up.
Here are some of the main points included in the talk:
Why do we need to talk to our kids?
- The functions of sex
- A new cultural norm
- The sexual landscape
- The media and porn industry
- The law of first mention
- The damage of silence and shame
Who needs to talk about it?
- Both parents
- Educating caregivers
- The role of school
- Playground talk
How should we talk about it?
- Dismantling myths
- Having a game plan
- Engaging your children
- The importance of questions
When should we talk about it?
- Age 2-3 How to start
- Age 4-6 Magical thinkers
- Ae 7-9 Time for The Chat
- Age 10-12 Puberty hits
- Age 13+ Things just got real
Who is Christy Hersleman?
Christy, Founder of The Chat, is speaker, researcher, teacher, author, wife and mother. She has been married for 20 years and has a background in journalism and education. She and her husband, Brad live in Umdloti, South Africa. They have three children: Emily (16) and Blake and Ryan (twins, 14).
Almost 10 years ago, Christy founded a movement called The Chat. The heart of The Chat is to empower parents, organizations and communities to confidently dialogue around big topics like sexuality, puberty, pornography, digital health and social media in a natural, open manner which creates safe spaces for on-going conversations.
She also equips tweens and teens to make healthy, future-focused decisions around their sexuality and identity and does workshops at schools, helping children and teens become safe, wise digital users and have a healthy understanding of sex.
She has written three books:
- The Chat: Birds, bees and destinies
- #wellconnected: How to be safe, wise and kind online
- What Just Happened? A puberty survival guide
Christy divides her time between researching, writing, speaking, counselling and being a wife and mom. She is currently working part time at Northwood School where she is rewriting their Gr 8 & 9 Life Orientation Curriculum and running a healthy sexuality program with the Grade 8s.
Her passion is to help cultivate deep connections, facilitate healthy dialogue and help raise a generation who are secure in who they are and where they are going.