THE SEX-WISE PARENT by Dr. Janet Rosenzweig Urges Parents to Stop Outsourcing Talks About Sex And Healthy Development

THE SEX-WISE PARENT by Dr. Janet Rosenzweig provides the language, facts, and practical tools parents need to speak with their children in age-appropriate ways about bodies, puberty, privacy, consent, online risks, family values, and sexual safety.

A child sexual health and safety expert, Dr. Rosenzweig gives parents a playbook to talk with their children about bodies, boundaries, and relationships.

NEW YORK CITY, NY, UNITED STATES, September 30, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Many parents assume their children will learn what they need to know about sex, safety, consent, and healthy development at school. Others hope their children are too young to be exposed to sexual messages or believe that silence will somehow protect them.

But children are already receiving messages about sex, bodies, relationships, and gender from peers, social media, the internet, and the wider culture. In THE SEX-WISE PARENT, recently released by Skyhorse Publishing, Janet Rosenzweig, PhD, makes clear that parents cannot afford to outsource these essential conversations.

THE SEX-WISE PARENT provides parents with the language, facts, confidence, and practical tools they need to talk with children in age-appropriate ways about bodies, puberty, privacy, consent, online risks, family values, and sexual safety.

“Children are learning about sex whether parents talk with them or not,” says Dr. Rosenzweig. “The question is whether that information will come from a trusted adult who loves them, or from peers, media, social platforms, pornography, or other sources that may be confusing, inaccurate, or unsafe.”

Rather than treating sex education as one awkward “talk,” Dr. Rosenzweig encourages parents to see it as an ongoing conversation that begins early and evolves as children grow. Young children need language for their bodies, an understanding of privacy, and permission to speak up when something feels wrong. Tweens and teens need accurate information about puberty, consent, relationships, media, online behavior, and safety. Older adolescents need continued guidance as they move toward greater independence.

The book addresses subjects many parenting guides avoid, including how to use anatomically correct language with children, how families can articulate their own values around privacy and modesty, how to talk about body curiosity without shame, how to respond to online exploitation, and how to support children whose needs or identities may make them more vulnerable.

One of the book’s central messages is that parents do not need to be perfect. They need to be present, informed, and willing to keep the lines of communication open. Drawing on decades of experience in child welfare, sexual health, and abuse prevention, Dr. Rosenzweig gives parents conversation starters, real-world examples, and guidance they can use immediately.

THE SEX-WISE PARENT is designed for parents, grandparents, caregivers, educators, youth-serving professionals, and anyone who wants to help children grow up safe, healthy, informed, and confident.

About the Author
Janet Rosenzweig, PhD, MPA, author of THE SEX-WISE PARENT, is a sex educator who began working at one of the nation’s first child sexual abuse programs in 1979. She then went on to serve children and families in Tennessee, Texas, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania; lead national organizations; serve as a public official; teach in universities; and offer workshops nationwide for over thirty years. She holds a PhD in social work from Rutgers University, an MPA from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, an MS in health education, and a BS in family studies from The Pennsylvania State University.

Janet Rosenzweig
The Sex-Wise Parent
yourbookmarketingpro@gmail.com
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