For Lesbian Parents: Your Guide to Helping Your Family Grow Up Happy, Healthy, and Proud

by Suzanne M. Johnson and Elizabeth O'Connor

Raising a child is overwhelming, thrilling, exhausting, terrifying, and joyous--and all at the same time. In addition to the adjustments that any new parents must make, lesbian mothers face numerous special questions and concerns. From coming out to your child to coping with the pressures of trying to be a lesbian super-mom, this wise and reassuring book offers information and support for women forging a new path in what it means to be a family. The authors are uniquely qualified for the task as expert developmental psychologists who are also coparenting two young daughters. With clarity and wit, they offer helpful advice on what kids need to know, and at what age; how to help them respond to questions and teasing from peers; ways to foster sensitivity in relatives, teachers, and others; how to talk to teens about their own developing sexuality; how parenting affects couple relationships; and much more. Chapters are packed with the insights and experiences of lesbians who have come to be parents in a variety of ways. Also included are listings of useful web sites, publications, and other resources.

Winner--Best Parenting Book, ForeWord Magazine's Book of the Year Awards

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1572306637
• ISBN13: 9781572306639
• Release Date: March 2001
• Publisher: Guilford Publications
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Hooray!

Having finished my copy of For Lesbian Parents, I am now logging on to buy one for everyone I know! This accessible book will become the new "bible" of lesbian parenting....it has everything you ever needed to know! I especially liked the interviews with all kinds of lesbian moms that were woven into the chapters, and the stories that the authors share about their own families are warm, personal and amusing! The authors are inclusive and thorough - couples and families, schools, churches, break ups, sexuality, homophobia and more! This gentle guide takes us through the difficult process of parenting - and the sometimes even more difficult process of lesbian parenting - with reassurance and celebration! Put this on the gift list of everyone you know!

What we've been waiting for!

For Lesbian Parents offers a long-awaited, intelligent and insightful guide to two-mom families! The book is accessible, informative, user-friendly, and it's format covers everything from answering children's questions to religious issues to artificial insemination options! The authors, both Ph.D's in Developmental Psychology offer a "what to expect when you're expecting" format, with developmental guidelines, boxed facts, and interweave beautifully their own personal experiences as lesbian moms. Their research and their gentle humor are both reassuring, as both conclude that not only are children in lesbian families doing just fine - in some ways, they are especially blessed! This book is a must have for anyone who is considering becoming a lesbian family, or for anyone who knows or loves a lesbian family!