Sex Ed
for parents of teens
audio summit hosted by the Joyful Courage podcast
Parenting teens is hard!
When I reached out to the Joyful Courage parent community and asked what they wanted to know about teen sexual development, they responded with enthusiasm:
- How do we keep them from watching porn?
- Are the conversations about consent landing?
- How do we share our values in a way that is influential?
- What boundaries should we be setting?
- Is there a way to teach them about healthy boundaries?
- Can we talk about contraceptives without encouraging them to have sex?
- How do we support our LGBTQIQAP youth and what do all of those letters mean?
Ahhhh!!! These are big questions!
This mini summit is my way of bringing the professionals and the conversations straight to you, parents of teenagers. The “mini summit” format is designed to give you useful information that can forward you on your journey of parenting your teen, without overwhelming you.
Summit details
I have zeroed in on five areas that our members of the community identified as critical conversations:
- Defining our values and creating boundaries
- Being “sex positive” as we navigate conversations about consent and contraception
- Helping our teens develop healthy relationships
- Porn, sexting and dating in the digital world
- Understanding and supporting our LGBTQIQAP+ youth
Meet the guests
Amy Lang
Amy has been a sexual health educator for over 20 years, and helps parents of all beliefs talk with kids of any age about the birds and the bees. She is the author of the award winning book Birds + Bees + YOUR Kids – A Guide to Sharing Your Beliefs About Sexuality, Love, and Relationships and Dating Smarts: What Every Teen Needs to Know to Date, Relate or Wait.
Amy’s talks, books, online solution center and podcast helps parents learn how to talk to their kids about this important and awkward part of life. Amy is still married to her first husband and they are getting the hang of parenting their teenage son. She lives in Seattle, WA. You can learn more about Amy and her work at BirdsAndBeesAndKids.com. Also, Amy is a really good friend of mine and has been on my speed dial for all things sex and my kids for years.
“Amy Lang makes talking about sex feel like talking about winning the lottery – there are a million wonderful things to do, a million awesome ways to have the conversation.”
-Cheryl Murfin, Seattle’s Child Magazine
Melissa Pintor Carnagey
Melissa is an Austin-based licensed social worker, sexuality educator, and parent of three. In June 2017 Melissa founded Sex Positive Families. SPF provides parents and caring adults with the education, resources, and support they need to raise sexually healthy children using a shame-free, comprehensive, and pleasure-positive approach.
Her website, sexpositivefamiles.com has an extensive list of books by age, an empowering, podcast, as well as a bank of useful links for expanding your sex education library.
I began following the Sex Positive families IG Page early last year and find the content super engaging and useful. You will find that her style is respectful of both children AND adults, and I am THRILLED she agreed to be a part of this summit.
“I was raised sexually repressed so having ‘birds and bees’ talks with my own teen was not something I felt comfortable with. Melissa was incredibly supportive and insightful. Her advice was spot on and helped me to start talking to my teen about sex. I thought I was too late, but her coaching showed me I wasn’t and helped me to get past my own fears. I am so appreciative of her work!”
-Melody W., Parent
Vanessa Osage
Vanessa has been actively transforming culture to embrace positive sexuality for nearly a decade. In 2009, she created a puberty rite of passage program as a new, healthy way to meet sexual maturity. Having trained through Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts in 2006, she expanded her certification to create a fuller approach to guiding for sexual health. She teaches Emotional Intelligence, along with healthy communication, boundaries, staying true to oneself and honoring the body’s wisdom.
In 2009, she created a puberty rite of passage program as a new, healthy way to meet sexual maturity. Having trained through Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts in 2006, she expanded her certification to create a fuller approach to guiding for sexual health. She teaches Emotional Intelligence, along with healthy communication, boundaries, staying true to oneself and honoring the body’s wisdom.
Following great interest in Parent Nights at schools, Vanessa created a “Raising Sexually Healthy Kids” seminar, which she has hosted multiple times around Bellingham, Washington. I am honored to share Vanessa’s wisdom during the summit!
“You are doing a great service for our community in teaching about healthy sex ed. You have a talent for this and I am so grateful we are doing this now.”
– Client, Raising Sexually Healthy Kids
Jo Langford
Jo is a dad, a Master’s-level therapist and sex educator for tweens, teens and parents in Seattle, Washington. For the last 20 years, he has worked in the intersection of adolescence, technology and sexuality. He is also a friend of the Joyful Courage Podcast.
Jo speaks internationally using information, education and humor to help parents and professionals increase their knowledge and self-confidence as a proactive defense against the unfortunate consequences that sometimes accompany teen sexuality, screen behavior and development.
Jo provides training for organizations and agencies as well as therapy to adolescents and families around a gambit of sexuality themes – with an emphasis on LGBT issues, Internet safety, digital citizenship and comprehensive sex education through BeHeroes.net.
Dr. Abigail Weissman
Abigail “Abi” Weissman, is a clinical psychologist, an empowering supporter and a self-love affirmer. Abi helps people who wish they could be their full queer, transgender, religious, liberal, polyamorous, and/or kink selves but hold themselves back because they are scared they will be unloved, unemployed, and rejected by their loved ones and communities.
She encourages her clients to share their deepest wishes so that they can learn to be happy being themselves. She knows from her own path to wellness and years of working with LGBTQIQAP clients that it is possible to survive the fear of others’ judgment, hurt, and disappointment to live your true self.
– Lisa P., parent
– Marcie C., parent
– Allison M., parent
– Tams W., parent
What you can expect
– Authentic discussion –
You will find yourself drawn in by the real, candid interview style of the host, Casey. She too is a parent of teens and brings her transparency to each and every interview. She values lightness and authenticity in the parenting conversation – resulting in feeling like you’re having a conversation with good friends, while taking in information that will up your confidence while raising your teens.
– Personal growth –
This summit is an opportunity to put yourself, and your learning, first, and to get information that will support you in making a meaningful impact on your family. The topics we are covering come straight from what I see the Joyful Courage community asking for support with. This is an emotional journey, and we all want to get it right.
– Community –
All registered participants will be encouraged to join the Joyful Courage for Parents of Teens FB Group (again, optional) for discussions about each day’ interview. This is a supportive group of like-minded parents on the journey, ready to stand for you with support and celebration.
How the spotlight summits work
After you register you will get instant access to all the summit interviews and a welcome email from me, encouraging you to join the Joyful Courage community. Joining the Facebook group is optional, however it is a super fabulous, like-minded group of parents of teens over there waiting for you to chime in. The conversations have already started!
The summits include audio only interviews so that you can take them wherever you go.
Self-paced
The content is yours to consume as you see fit. You can listen to the interviews and read the transcripts on a timeline that works for you – coming back to your favorites again and again.
Virtual Classroom
All of the content from the summits will be stored in your personal account on Teachable. Participants will create their own username and password, and will find the interviews and transcripts made available in their virtual classroom.
All of the audios and transcripts will be downloadable and yours to keep. Download the Teachable iPhone app to make it super easy.
Lifetime Access
The good news is, no matter how you are able to listen in to these interviews, they are yours to keep forever. You get to choose when you listen to them, and how you want to integrate what you learn. After taking in these interviews, you will have the tools and skills to be the parent you want to be, with strong relationships, as well as boundaries and guidelines that fit your family.