A little dude who’s a good reader is almost guaranteed to be a better student and, thus, to have a better potential future for the rest of his life. There’s a problem with that, though. Not all little dudes can get their hands on the books they need to spark their imaginations and ignite their [...]]]> by Richard

A little dude who’s a good reader is almost guaranteed to be a better student and, thus, to have a better potential future for the rest of his life. There’s a problem with that, though. Not all little dudes can get their hands on the books they need to spark their imaginations and ignite their love of reading.

I’m really excited to have received a press release about a company that’s trying to do something about that. Scholastic Book Clubs is running a program called ClassroomsCare, in which little dudes and dudettes are being encouraged to each read 10 books by Dec. 17. Should the participating classes meet this goal, Scholastic will be donating 1 million books to kids in need.

To get the books to children who need them, ClassroomsCare partners with major charities that play a key role. Reach Out and Read(R) provides books to the nation’s youngest children via pediatricians who work at clinics and in hospitals, and helps parents make books part of their children’s daily lives. Save the Children(R) reaches children in rural areas who may not have the resources or access to books they need. And this year ClassroomsCare is adding a new partner, The Pajama Program, a non-profit that helps distribute books and pajamas to children in more than thirty states, from preschool through teen. With each program Scholastic carefully selects books that are age-appropriate and engaging for the recipient.

Scholastic has been running ClassroomsCare since 2001 and, during that time, they’ve donated upwards of 10 million books to kids who can’t afford them on their own. Bravo, Scholastic Book Clubs! Bravo!

“I smile every time I hear about a school where, through their generosity and hard work, students are making a difference and improving the lives of others by participating in ClassroomsCare,” said Judy Newman, President of Scholastic Book Clubs. “In order to better prepare the children of the 21st Century to live complete and successful lives, we need to energize them to read more books, and read everyday.  And showing children that their hard work pays off and they can make a difference in the lives of others is motivating and important as they grow up. Through ClassroomsCare, students aren’t just reading, they’re reading to give.”

Now, you’re asking yourselves, what can I do to help? Well, the best thing you can do is ask your little dude’s teachers if they are participating in the ClassroomsCare program and, if not, why not? Scholastic is hosting a fabulous website with lesson plans and incentives for the kids. There’s really no reason not to participate.

Teachers, parents and students all can go to the website and see how their reading can help those little dudes and little dudettes who aren’t as fortunate.

This is a good thing. Hurry up, go out there and get your kids involved.

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Speaking of sex. . .

Writing about sexual health yesterday reminded me of something important. Okay, yes, that too. But I was actually reminded more of a friend of mine who’s in the process of raising his own little dude. My friend, let’s just pick a name out of the hat, is named John and trying [...]]]> by Richard

Speaking of sex. . .

Writing about sexual health yesterday reminded me of something important. Okay, yes, that too. But I was actually reminded more of a friend of mine who’s in the process of raising his own little dude. My friend, let’s just pick a name out of the hat, is named John and trying to work up the nerve to talk to his little dude about sex.

The problem, you see, is John knows a lot about sex. I mean, a lot. The dude was a hound, if you knowwhutI’msayin’. His past experiences seem to be coloring his expectations for his talk with his little dude.

And that’s his first problem right there. See, sex isn’t something that should be completely ignored or have discussions about it actively discouraged right up until the time you have THE TALK. The things is, sex doesn’t need a talk. What it needs is a conversation and that requires more than one little sit down.

Still, that’s a conversation for another day. For now, let’s talk about talking.

For most people, the idea of talking about sex with your kids is, well, terrifying. Mortifying. Embarrassing. I’ve never really understood this fear, but I do know it’s there. The bad news is that if you go into any kind of sex talk with your little dude or little dudette sweating bullets and stammering, you’re going to probably leave them with the impression that sex is something to be ashamed of. And that’s not good.

What is good, though, is it’s not all that hard for you to overcome your fear. The first thing you need is a mirror. The second thing is a little privacy. Here’s what you do.

Get in front of the mirror and look yourself in the eye. Then say masturbation. Follow that up with every single word you can think of that has to do with sex, no matter how vulgar. Get it all out of your system. Think of all the funny euphemisms for penis or vagina you’ve ever heard and then say them out loud. Make sure you do this often enough so you can do it without laughing or grimacing.

The next step is to start holding a conversation with your mirror self. Imagine you’re sitting down in front of your little dude or little dudette and think about what would be the most embarrassing thing that could happen. Then talk about it. Repeat your lines over and over. Imagine the look of horror on his face, make it yours, and then keep talking about masturbation or getting to third base or whatever you fear. Do it again and again and again.

Familiarity breeds, in this case, ease. These sorts of talks will never be easy for you or your little dude, but they are important. Especially because they’re just the start. Embarrassing and educating your little dude is not going to be the end of it. You want your child to be comfortable talking to you about sex. Otherwise, where’s she going to go when she’s facing an actual practical situation if she can’t talk to you?

Opening a conversation with your child about sex is important because it allows you to help instil him with your values and your ideas, rather than what that sleazy little dude from down the drive thinks.

If you’re uncomfortable about this sort of thing, just think about this. Would you rather be embarrassed and open a conversation about sex with your child, or would you rather take him to the doctor to treat an STD? Or put your life on hold to take care of your new grandchild?

Yeah, that’s what I thought.

Conversing. It’s a good start.

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She Who Must Be Obeyed is an expert on sexual health. Heck, it’s her job. No, she doesn’t get paid for that. She’s an obstetrician/gynecologist with a specialization in sexual health. Get your mind out of the gutter.

(Though, speaking of the gutter, heh, heh, heh. A wife who’s an expert on sex? Yeah, I married [...]]]> by Richard

She Who Must Be Obeyed is an expert on sexual health. Heck, it’s her job. No, she doesn’t get paid for that. She’s an obstetrician/gynecologist with a specialization in sexual health. Get your mind out of the gutter.

(Though, speaking of the gutter, heh, heh, heh. A wife who’s an expert on sex? Yeah, I married up.)

Anyway, I thought we could get into a bit of a male perspective here. A dude’s view of sex, if you will.

I recently found an interesting site that has a lot of great information on that.

The topic of sexual health is wide-ranging, encompassing issues such as sexually transmitted diseases or infections (STDs or STIs), HIV/AIDS, and birth control, as well as sexual pleasure, communication, and body image. On a global scale, sexual health also includes issues of education for women and accessibility of healthcare.

Here’s a little stat from that site that’s going to scare the pants right on you, dude.

1. About 25% of Americans live with an incurable STD ( Women’s Day ), and it is estimated that half of all sexually active youth will contract an STD by the time they turn 25 ( KFF ).
2. Despite higher risk in American youth, only 1/3 of all youth aged 15-17 and 1/2 of all youth aged 18-24 have been tested for STDs ( KFF ).

Yeah, that sounds about right. The problem, as I’ve said many times before, is teenagers see themselves as invincible and immortal. Neither of which is true, of course. The facts on the ground don’t support those little delusions. Its our job as parents to make sure the little dudes and dudettes have a bit more of a factual take on what they might be facing. If we can’t push a little reality into their mental landscape, they’re going to be heading for trouble.

Hence, my recommendation for this site. It’s a good aggregator site that contains a lot of links to different places, with lots of different topics. What you remember from your own half a semester in health class in ninth grade probably isn’t going to cut it, dude. It’s time you got up to date.

It’s also a good idea, if you’re going to be terminally embarrassing your little dude or dudette by talking about sex, to make sure you know what you’re talking about first. Go have a look. You’ll thank me later.

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