A personal account of the challenges and realities of Foreign Service Life. Hundreds of families are being evacuated from the Middle East and we are sharing one story here to support the community.

Please do reach out to us if you have thoughts, ideas and your own stories to share.

Lisa Tilstra: Makelifelessdifficult

Susie Brown: HealthyexpatParent

Angi Solley: Teenlines

Great resources for parents:

The Sex Education Answer Book: By the Age Responses to Tough Questions Kids Ask Parents About Sex: A definitive guidebook to assist parents with answering a child's questions about sex and demystifying sex for both parent and child.

Kids Ask Script-building resource to help tailor conversations for parents/adults towards children around self-esteem, healthy relationships and making informed decisions.

Amaze.org - resources for youth(8-14) and parents about sexuality, bodies, and relationships

https://amaze.org/parents/

Porn: fact or fiction Amaze video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdB2rmGqqNU&ab_channel=AMAZEOrg

Guide to talking about porn:

https://amaze.org/parents/guides/porn/

Culture Reframed - Free self-guided programs on build your child's resilience and resistance to hypersexualized culture and the impacts of pornography

https://parents.culturereframed.org/course/parents-of-tweens/

Sex Ed Reclaimed - Resource for Christian Families https://www.sexedreclaimed.com/

Sex ed tips for Muslim parents - https://resources.muslimkids.tv/sex-education/

How Jewish parents can talk to kids about sex https://mizrachi.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/HaMizrachi_Yom-Ha_Atzmaut_Israel_2021_58.pdf

Great Podcasts:

• This is so Awkward puberty podcast (and great newsletter)

• Birds and bees and kids with Amy Lang

Sex Positive Families: Massive database of sex-positive books and resources for every age.

Join me for a conversation with Dr Fae Frederick, about mental health and our FS kids. We talk about tips for families, for every day and also for times of transition, roles and responsibilities for parents, preventative care and getting the support you and your family need, especially while overseas. As always, a great resource, Dr Fae has great supplemental links to share.

Resources mentioned:

Where to find Dr Fae: www.drfae.com

Information about the groups Dr Fae mentioned: www.drfae.com/groups

Resource guide for FS folks and families: https://online-therapy.net/blog-home/mh-guide

Some great books to explore about development and communication:

Body-Brain Parenting: https://www.amazon.com/Brain-Body-Parenting-Managing-Behavior-Resilient/dp/0063061317

How to talk so kids will listen: https://www.amazon.com/How-Talk-Kids-Will-Listen/dp/1451663889

How to talk so little kids will listen: https://www.amazon.com/dp/150113163X

Ages and stages: https://www.amazon.com/Ages-Stages-Parents-Childhood-Development/dp/0471370878

Life Cycle Completed: https://www.amazon.com/Life-Cycle-Completed-Extended-Version/dp/0393317722 Erik Erickson and all his wisdom