How I Found the Perfect Book for Discussing Tough Topics with Kids
Sasha fires a thousand questions at me about where babies come from and how boys and girls are made. I’ve never lied or dodged the topic, but I kept struggling to find the right way to explain things. Then I found a solution.
Recently I visited a store called “Znayka,” a fantastic shop filled with high-quality educational toys and games for children. While I was there, I stumbled on an amazing book called “An Honest Conversation About This” — the first children’s sex-education book I’d seen. I read it for half an hour right in the store. I’ve never held a better book in my hands. It’s fairly thick (about 0.6 inches) and covers many important parts of a child’s life through the story of a brother and sister.
The illustrations are delightful—funny and warm drawings rather than photographs, which feels right for that age. For example, the childbirth section has a picture of an elephant trying to squeeze through a doorway—perfectly placed and genuinely amusing. The book covers adolescence, the feeling of falling in love, family relationships, the arrival of a new baby, and topics I’d underestimated, like physical violence and different forms of harassment. There’s even a picture of children holding signs that read “No means No!” and “Hands Off!” to emphasize the importance of saying “No” when something doesn’t feel right.
This book is wonderful. We made a small celebration for Alexey and Sasha when we brought it home—picking them up from school and daycare just to give it to them. We let them flip through the pages and look at the pictures, then set aside time to read it together. They listened, laughed, and asked questions—without turning it into a joke. Alexey sat quietly, taking it all in, while Sasha, of course, was a bit more distracted. I loved that the information is presented as a story. I found it fascinating to read myself. I think I’m catching up on what I missed as a kid, back when I had to figure things out by running to friends’ houses to find any book or magazine and feeling like a complete “fool” at 15.
Keep a book like this at home. Read it together. Let your child look through it on their own. Never lie. Say less if you must, but keep their trust. After all, you are the most important person in your child’s life.
