Not My Kid

What Parents Believe about the Sex Lives of Their Teenagers

Nonfiction, Family & Relationships, Parenting, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology
Cover of the book Not My Kid by Sinikka Elliott, NYU Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Sinikka Elliott ISBN: 9780814771341
Publisher: NYU Press Publication: August 13, 2012
Imprint: NYU Press Language: English
Author: Sinikka Elliott
ISBN: 9780814771341
Publisher: NYU Press
Publication: August 13, 2012
Imprint: NYU Press
Language: English

Teenagers have sex. While almost all parents understand that many teenagers are sexually active, there is a paradox in many parents’ thinking: they insist their own teen children are not sexual, but characterize their children’s peers as sexually-driven and hypersexual. Rather than accuse parents of being in denial, Sinikka Elliott teases out the complex dynamics behind this thinking, demonstrating that it is rooted in fears and anxieties about being a good parent, the risks of teen sexual activity, and teenagers’ future economic and social status. Parents—like most Americans—equate teen sexuality with heartache, disease, pregnancy, promiscuity, and deviance and want their teen children to be protected from these things.Going beyond the hype and controversy, Elliott examines how a diverse group of American parents of teenagers understand teen sexuality, showing that, in contrast to the idea that parents are polarized in their beliefs, parents are confused, anxious, and ambivalent about teen sexual activity and how best to guide their own children’s sexuality. Framed with an eye to the debates about teenage abstinence and sex education in school, Elliott also links parents’ understandings to the contradictory messages and broad moral panic around child and teen sexuality. Ultimately, Elliott considers the social and cultural conditions that might make it easier for parents to talk with their teens about sex, calling for new ways of thinking and talking about teen sexuality that promote social justice and empower parents to embrace their children as fully sexual subjects.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Teenagers have sex. While almost all parents understand that many teenagers are sexually active, there is a paradox in many parents’ thinking: they insist their own teen children are not sexual, but characterize their children’s peers as sexually-driven and hypersexual. Rather than accuse parents of being in denial, Sinikka Elliott teases out the complex dynamics behind this thinking, demonstrating that it is rooted in fears and anxieties about being a good parent, the risks of teen sexual activity, and teenagers’ future economic and social status. Parents—like most Americans—equate teen sexuality with heartache, disease, pregnancy, promiscuity, and deviance and want their teen children to be protected from these things.Going beyond the hype and controversy, Elliott examines how a diverse group of American parents of teenagers understand teen sexuality, showing that, in contrast to the idea that parents are polarized in their beliefs, parents are confused, anxious, and ambivalent about teen sexual activity and how best to guide their own children’s sexuality. Framed with an eye to the debates about teenage abstinence and sex education in school, Elliott also links parents’ understandings to the contradictory messages and broad moral panic around child and teen sexuality. Ultimately, Elliott considers the social and cultural conditions that might make it easier for parents to talk with their teens about sex, calling for new ways of thinking and talking about teen sexuality that promote social justice and empower parents to embrace their children as fully sexual subjects.

More books from NYU Press

Cover of the book Poetics of the Literary Self-Portrait by Sinikka Elliott
Cover of the book License to Wed by Sinikka Elliott
Cover of the book The History of the Catholic Church in Latin America by Sinikka Elliott
Cover of the book In the Beginning by Sinikka Elliott
Cover of the book The New Black Politician by Sinikka Elliott
Cover of the book Bad Pastors by Sinikka Elliott
Cover of the book Leg over Leg by Sinikka Elliott
Cover of the book The Games Black Girls Play by Sinikka Elliott
Cover of the book Entitled to Nothing by Sinikka Elliott
Cover of the book Scheherazade's Children by Sinikka Elliott
Cover of the book Leg over Leg by Sinikka Elliott
Cover of the book The Trans Generation by Sinikka Elliott
Cover of the book Coming Clean by Sinikka Elliott
Cover of the book In Your Face by Sinikka Elliott
Cover of the book Toxic Diversity by Sinikka Elliott
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy