Can puberty be FUNNY? Let’s be honest: a lot of the things we go through in puberty are funny! Puberty can be weird and embarrassing and smelly– and funny. I’ve always believed that embracing the humor in this transitional time is critical to surviving it with a smile. I’m so glad to have had the opportunity […]
Why do tweens need to know what puberty’s like for the opposite sex?
Our Puber-Tween class is the first session of our flagship Rites of Passage series for 5th and 6th graders, designed especially for that age group. Most tweens in 5th and 6th grades are experiencing the beginning stages of puberty, and they require preparation for all the physical and emotional changes that will occur not only […]
Video: Get to Know Puber-Tween!
Nurse Leslie breaks down our Puber-Tween class, one of the sessions in Rites of Passage that can be taken as a stand-alone.
Video: Why Does my 5th Grader Need Rites of Passage?
Isn’t 5th grade too young for a class about puberty and reproduction? No way! By 5th grade, many young people are already experiencing puberty, and it’s important for them to understand what that means and to have empowered parents they feel comfortable turning to with questions and concerns. Rites of Passage is an age-appropriate class […]
Why does my 4th grader need Puber-Tea?
When you look at your 4th grade daughter, it can be hard to accept that she’s on the brink of puberty and young womanhood, but she is. Our Puber-Tea class is designed to help moms and daughters begin navigating this new phase together, giving them the language and tools they’ll need to keep a healthy […]
Are you ready for “the talk”?
The constant when I speak to most parents is how to have “the talk” with their children. “When should I have the talk? What should I say or not say?” Their questions and concerns go on and on. I smile because I’ve taught parents how to talk to their kids about puberty, adolescence and sex […]
Leslie Dixon on: “The Talks” (A video)
Jerry Brown Oks Mandatory Sex Ed for CA Schools
After many years of resistance around the topic of school-based sex education, Governor Jerry Brown signed a mandatory sex education bill that was instituted January 1, 2016 throughout California schools in grades 7-12. This comes on the heels of several school districts having eliminated preparation for puberty courses. Teaching sex education in schools has always been […]
Why does my 4th grader need a puberty talk?
First of all, let us set the record straight, the “puberty talk” is completely different from the “where babies come from” talk. Puberty – the physical and emotional changes every child experiences on the road to adulthood – does not start when a girl gets her period. It usually begins about two years beforehand. Can […]
E.T. Phones Home, and Connection with Your Tween
“I define connection as the energy that exists between people when they feel seen, heard, and valued; when they can give and receive without judgment; and when they derive sustenance and strength from the relationship.” ― Brené Brown E.T. Phone Home For those of you who don’t remember the iconic movie by Steven Spielberg, the premise […]
Nutrition For the Whole Self This Fruit and Vegetable Month!
Nutrition for the Whole Self This Fruit and Vegetable Month! When I was informed this month was Fruits and Veggies — More Matters! Month I thought to myself, “What a great topic! But, really, what does that have to do with puberty, adolescence, and sexuality?” So, to get the wheels turning, I went right to my […]
Let’s Talk Periods! (The Do’s and the Don’t’s)
Let’s Talk Periods Women have menstruated since the beginning of time. But people rarely speak of it directly. We’ve applied colorful metaphors to the monthly event in spades: Aunt Flo, On the Rag, I’m at a Red Light, Surfing the Crimson Tide, Checked into Red Roof Inn, Curse of Dracula, Leak Week, My Dot, and […]