On Tuesday, April 29, our speaker series continues with veteran sex educator Deborah Roffman, who last visited Somerset in 2017. Roffman’s books include The Science of Babies (a read-aloud for ages 3.5 and up) and Talk to Me First, a guide for parents. Roffman will discuss why it’s best for kids (and less awkward for parents) when they learn about sex and biology in gradual, developmentally-appropriate stages rather than in a single information dump in late elementary school. She’ll also explain how age-inappropriate online content makes communication about these topics more urgent than ever. Her talk includes concrete strategies for how parents can get started.

“Decades of studies show that children who are raised in families that are open to answering kids’ questions about sexuality from an early age grow up healthier in any number of ways,” Roffman says. “Perhaps the most important way they’re healthier is that they tend to postpone risk-taking longer, until they are developmentally more prepared, with better communication skills and a greater understanding of themselves and others.”