When you were a kid, you probably heard your parents talk about the birds and the bees in response to your questions about “where do babies come from?” or something similar. Unknown to you, such questions put your mom and dad on the spot, feeling embarrassed as they grapple for words to say to explain sex, intercourse, and reproduction.
Discussions about sexuality, the body, and even puberty are taboo in our society. Most adults acknowledge that these are topics that are hard to talk about. There’s also the tendency to mask the truth or skip very sensitive matters altogether. But Rowena Thomas of AMAZING ME is leading the way to positive open conversations about these topics.
Discussions that Lead to Wise Decisions
Rowena is a primary school teacher with more than 25 years of experience in sexuality education. As a mother of three adult children, she understands the challenges when talking about sex and the different stages in a child’s life.
She believes that open and positive conversations about sex and puberty can be started and continued. And when this happens, puberty is embraced and becomes a normal stage that results in making wise decisions. Decisions that affect lives even to adulthood.
Indeed, honest discussions about these topics lead to a clearer understanding of our bodies and life in general. Because of this knowledge, we can make a well-informed decision.
Amazing Programs
Rowena continues to advocate honest conversations in a sensitive manner. The AMAZING ME programs she conducts in schools in Australia help empower educators, parents, and their children to discuss these seemingly sensitive topics.
The programs can be integrated into the schools’ curriculum or sex education programs. Presentations are engaging and age-appropriate, encouraging discussions, resulting in better communication and understanding, and stronger relationships.
School administrators, teachers, parents, and the students give the organization’s program rave reviews. A principal stated that the AMAZING ME programs they’ve been running are an asset to the school. One parent said Rowena made a difficult conversation much easier. A student who came in nervous came out happy for learning a lot.
In addition to programs for schools, Rowena also offers online courses that she developed for parents, carers, and pre-teens. These online programs can be taken anytime and many times over.
“What’s the Big Deal About Puberty?” is about puberty that is ideal for both parents/carers to do together with their pre-teens aged 9-12 years. This can also be completed by your child on their own. It will help everyone understand why puberty happens and how, when, and all of the changes that can be expected. The second unit is about how to cope with puberty so that your child can feel normal and well prepared.
Meanwhile, “A Kid’s Guide to Bodies and Babies” is about bodies, how babies are made and more. It is ideal for both parents/carers to do it together with their pre-teens. There are two separate courses for children aged 7-9 years or 9-12 years. It will not only help everyone understand the body, particularly genitals but also sex, reproduction and birth and how amazing we are as humans.
These online courses are educational and entertaining, empowering parents and children to have ongoing, positive conversations about difficult topics in the privacy of their own homes.
Amazing Discussions of Relevant Topics
Aside from the topics considered taboo, AMAZING ME also covers more relevant issues that are somehow untouched. Respect, empowerment, child protection, child abuse, consent, and pornography are not ones that parents would initiate talk with.
These topics are critical in today’s society. Thanks to the internet and technology, information can be easily accessed. But it cannot be filtered and can quickly influence the kids. Being open and even initiating discussions about things that matter is being ahead of the game.
Amazing Resources
Parents today can no longer talk about sex with the birds and bees. The world has changed a lot, that the strategies our parents used to raise us are no longer applicable when raising today’s kids.
AMAZING ME provides valuable resources that parents can use to have healthy discussions with their children. Aside from constantly publishing blogs, you’ll find recommendations on websites and books about sex education, puberty and periods, pornography, and cyber safety, among others.
And it’s incredible to see Rowena continuing her work beyond Australia, where the company is based. AMAZING ME has launched an online program. The programs are interactive courses that will benefit parents, educators, and kids in other parts of the world.
And Rowena continues to work on her advocacy through social media, so that the world can learn more about having open and honest discussions about sex and puberty. We can see how passionate Rowena is about her work. And that’s why we at Aureum Hospitality Advisers are so excited to be working with AMAZING ME.
