Critical Comments on Flight of the Stork, by Anne C. Bernstein Second Edition published by Perspectives Press: (Available now in a Kindle Edition) ... brings into the 21st century the issue of what children understand about where babies come from. Today babies come to their families through sexual intercourse, through adoption, through assisted reproductive technology, through donor insemination and surrogates, through blending of families of origin. And because of this complexity, parents need even more help. Anne C. Bernstein offers that conceretely and supportively. Advanced and reviewers comments on the new version include... "Where do children think babies come from? You may be surprised by the answers given in this revised and expanded edition of the popular ... title. Bernstein examines how children think differently from adults concerning sex and birth. Page after page of enlightening interviews take us deep into the minds of children three to twelve years old. The interviews demonstrate each child's level of mental development and also show how a child's thinking changes with age. This understanding of child development will help adults communicate better with children about the origins of families as well as the origin of babies. The revision also deals with such 21st century topics as assisted reproductive technology,n donor insemination, and surrogacy. These valuable additions make the book essential even for libraries owning the first edition." -Library Journal "Flight of the Stork is must reading for parents who are uncertain about how to talk to their children about sensitive issues, including sex and adoption. Anne outlines developmental stages in terms that are easily understood and describes what children's capabilities and tendencies are at each level... This book is enormously useful in understanding who our children are as well as the outlook and capabilities they bring to any topic we discuss. The truth is that (Anne Bernstein) is describing good parenting skills: listening to your children, understanding your own issues, and responsiveness and honesty and empathy. The book should be on every parent's shelf." -Pact: An Adoption Alliance (San Francisco) 1994 PACT Praise Book Award winner in the category of Developing Parenting Skills "When it was first published, Anne Bernstein's Flight of the Stork (helped) parents understand how children come tomake sense of sex and reproduction (and) served as a window to the mystery and wonderment of sexuality and the process of creation from the perspective of the developing child... Bernstein's revised book is a valuable addition to the literature on family life. Her new chapters on adoption and reproductive technology provide wonderful insights into how children think about these topics. She continues to show an extraordinary ability to translate basic research findings into interesting, relevant, and practical information... This book is must reading not only for parents, but for family counselors, mental health clinicians, educators, and all other individuals whose professional responsibilities involve working with children around family life issues." - David Brodzinsky, PhD. Author, Being Adopted: The Lifelong Search for Self and The Psychology of Adoption "Anne Bernstein has done a wonderful job of helping adults understand how children organize and internalize information provided for them by adults. The material can be used in a variety of ways by adults who are willing to be adaptable at all--i.e. How do we interpret what children have to say? More importantly how can we encourage them to say more, so that we can understand what they think?... (The book) should be required reading for every person who works directly with children: social workers, teachers, therapists, etc... to help them understand how children learn and understand life events." -Vera Fahlberg, MD Children's Therapist Author. A Child's Journey Through Placement "From time to time I have been excited bya book which fills a void and expands my h orizones. With Flight of the Stork, Anne Bernstein has done both. It is at once entertaining and informative; carefully conceived and artfully presented. I recommend it without reservation to those who are interested in helping future generations grow up with healthy attitudes about reproduction and themselves." - William R. Keye, Mr. MD, Chief Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and In-Vitro Fertilization Program William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak, MI On the original Delacorte Press edition: What a refreshing experience! This is a well-conceived and well-written book, and, beyond this, an aesthetic experience. It leaves stimulating ideas hatching all over the place...To read this book is to embark on a pleasurable, enriching experience. You will find it especially worthwhile if you are interested in developmental psychology, or if you work with families with children. It will, in addition, be titillating if you have children of your own who are asking, and answering, and asking again, the perennial question. -Carlos Sluzki, M.D., Family Process Another way to approach Piaget is through works that portray the child's understanding of particular realms of experience...The Bernstein book is richly packed with probing interviews of children, conducted in the style of Piaget. -Howard Gardner, Ph.D., The New York Times ...(A) much-needed book...Using a minimum of formal terminology yet never wandering too far from the Piagetian structural framework, Bernstein finds some instructive surprises in the stork's bundle, and her book is a natural selection for adults fumbling in the dark for the right words. - Kirkus Review ...Not just another potboiler on how to tell your children about sex. I would highly recommend this book for sex educators and well-educated, sophisticated parents. - Wardell Pomeroy, Ph.D., SIECUS Report ...far from pedantic...makes fascinating reading for the layman as well as the professional...in talking with her subjects she obviously accepted them as they were, and they responded with delightful candor...suggestions are offerred specifically for parents. These are presented with sensitivity to both the feelings of parents and to the capacities and feelings of children....Her ideas do make sense, and they make her book not only illuminating but also enjoyable and useful, a delight to read. - Harry H. Guest, Ph.D. SIECCAN Helps parents and teachers understand the mythic ways children think about sex and reproduction--and how they process your factual explanations--at various ages. - MS. A wise and eminently readable guide for parents...that can make one of your most challenging parental responsibilities not only easier--but downright enjoyable. -Young Parents Book Club I recommend this book highly to parents, caregivers and teachers of children both young, and old. You will be delighted with its humor, impressed with the theory and research upon which it is based, and comforted by the respect for children and their parents that the author brings to her writing....not content with mere description, Bernstein provides suggestions for talking with children that are based on common sense, a desire to respect individual values, an insistence on including feelings in the communication process, and reflection of the careful scientific base underlying her interpretation of the data she has collected from children. And the touchy issues...are not ignored. -Young Children |
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