REVIEWSEXEDUCATIONMATERIALSFORLATTER-DAYSAINTS-Dialogue.pdfVIP

REVIEW SEX EDUCATIO N MATERIALS FOR LATTER-DAY SAINTS SHIRLEY B . PAXMA N One of the responsibilities facing Latter-day Saint parents today is that of teaching children about reproduction and sexual relationships . Most Mormon parents feel as Dr . Benjamin Spock does—that sex should be taught in a frame- work that emphasizes its spirituality . It is a distortion of sexuality in human beings to act as if it were merely a matter of anatomy and physiology. It is a challenge to parents to develop healthy sexual attitudes and values of their own . It is a greater challenge to find ways to convey these attitudes and values lovingly to their children . In an effort to assist parents in teaching sex education within the family framework , several LDS writers have published books which deal with the subject in various ways . In reviewing materials written in the context of the Latter-Day Saints , I found it helpful to put them into three categories : 1) Books suitable for young children ; 2) Books written primarily for teen-agers and young adults ; 3) Books written as instructive aids for couples already married , or for those approaching marriage . Childrens Books Unfortunately , there are no really first-rate books in this category written by LDS authors . One book obviously written for young children is Spiritual Truths of Reproduction, by Lenet Read and Shauna Valentine . The spiritual concepts in the book are abstract and the facts about reproduction incomplete , and , in some ways , misleading . Following a description of nursing a baby , the authors state: Father begins a new life by using a pattern that is similar to nursing. This statement seems to leave an erroneous