New Book: So Sexy, So Soon

Written by Diane Levin and Jean Kilbourne:

In an age of wild girls and bad boys So Sexy, So Soon: The New Sexualized Childhood and What Parents Can Do to Protect Their Kids (Ballantine Books; $25.00) is a powerful antidote to the media's stepped up assault on childhood and its effect on our kids' vulnerable psyches. Written by Diane Levin, Ph.D., and Jean Kilbourne, Ed.D., internationally recognized experts on the impact of the media on children and teens, it is the first book that helps parents understand how sexualization affects children of all ages and genders and tells them what to do about it.

For children today, learning about sex too soon isn't the issue. The problem is the synthetic and cynical source of a child's information. Since children don't have the emotional sophistication and psychological development needed to understand what they are seeing, images on TV and in advertisements as well as toys and entertainment-linked figures like Bratz dolls and WWE wrestlers deeply influence how they feel about their bodies and their sexuality and how they think about gender and relationships. We are left with little girls wanting to go on diets so they can be "sexy," little boys getting suspended from school for sexual harassment, and parents in desperate need of guidance. Finally, there is help.

So Sexy, So Soon, an in-depth analysis of the media's effect on impressionable kids, gives parents the information, skills, and confidence they need to play a proactive role with their children around sexual issues. It includes poignant stories that demonstrate how our kids internalize what they see and hear, guidelines and sample conversations for talking with kids about these sensitive subjects, and offers practical strategies for counteracting the disturbing messages that bombard our children every day.

I recommend visiting the book's site- in addition to the usual book promotion stuff there is an entire page of tips that parents can use to protect their children.