Flight of the Stork: What Children Think (And When About Sex and Family Building)

Rating:
Summary: Helping Infertility Patients
Review: Although this book isn't specifically about childrearing an "infertility" child, knowing the thought processes that children go through when learing about "where do I come from" is crucial for anyone who is thinking about using assisted reproduction or who is thinking of adopting to understand. The book contains some specific sections on those areas, but don't just skip to them. This book can help you make those very difficult decisions relating to whether you can BE a parent of a child brought to your family by less than traditional methods.

Rating:
Summary: Heavier, academic book, but well written and fun.
Review: Ok, this is a bit of a heavier, academic-type book, although the writing style is easy enough to read.

Bernstein has interviewed many children about their understanding about sexuality, particularly in terms of pregnancy, birth and family structure. The book is filled with examples of what children say and think, which can be fun to read.

Bernstein separates children's responses into six rough stages of mental development, which turn out to be fairly clearly differentiated. In each stage, she describes and explains how children think, giving examples of what children have said in interviews with her. She then also suggests how to talk to children of each stage, taking into account their understanding and way of thinking at that time.

There are also chapters on adoption and stepfamilies, and generally how to discuss and make sense of the great variety of family structures children encounter, and how children understand them.

It's reasonably fun reading, if you have the concentration to read through it all, and the desire to think about yourself and your situation, and how you may improve your communication and the understanding of the children you encounter.