DR. MEGAN MAAS
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I Came Out of Your What?! Talking to Kids About How They Came to Be

3/26/2019

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Copyright : Anna Bizoń/123RF Stock Photo
I know it’s a tough subject. Many parents are determined to do better than their parents did. But how do we start? When do we start? How do we tell them the truth about where babies come from without scarring them for life? The good news is that it is much easier than you think, because BOOKS. Glorious BOOKS! You don’t need to even think about how to start. You start with BOOKS. When to start? Today! Here’s the rundown on my favorite ways to approach everyone’s favorite topic with kids under 11.
​If you are currently pregnant with someone’s future sibling, an excellent way to carry out this conversation is with the book, What’s in There? I must have read it with my 2-3 year old daughter 40 times when I was pregnant. It follows a family through the seasons as the baby inside the mommy grows. You see the baby getting bigger in her uterus and with each new change in the season, the baby is developing new body parts and functions. When the mom goes into labor, different methods of birth are discussed. It’s fabulous. So easy. My daughter loved the concept of an umbilical cord, and every time I ate she would remind me that the food is going straight to the baby through the placenta! No pressure there at all. Even if you don’t plan to be pregnant again, it can be a good read to reflect back on a pregnancy and share stories of what it was like to have your child grow inside of you.

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Love hurts: What we learn from Beauty & the Beast, Twilight, and Fifty Shades of Grey

2/12/2015

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There is nothing new, unique, or even creative about Fifty Shades of Grey. It’s just the latest installment of pop culture messages that teach girls and young women that truly hot and irresistible love includes some element of violence and danger. 

These messages start when you’re little with Beauty and the Beast. As a girl, you learn to be nice and patient with an abusive partner, and as long as you remain so, he will change his behavior and transform into a Prince. It doesn’t matter that he’s throwing things at you, locking you up in a room, not letting you eat without him, not letting you get to your father…he will change…you just need to tame him. But Beauty and the Beast isn’t real….

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Not down THERE! : A parent’s guide to body exploration in young children

1/6/2015

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At this stage of my life and my career, I’m getting a lot of questions from friends and colleagues about touching “down there” as a lot of us have toddlers, yet I’m usually the only sex educator people know. Here are some common concerns I’ve been getting lately: 
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“Fred loves to pull on his penis ALL the time. Is this normal?” 

“Jocelyn wants to play with her baby brother’s penis in the bath. What should I do?”

“Jackson has started putting his finger in his anus. His anus! This can’t be good.”

“Leah wants to pull on my nipples and then hers and then mine. Ummm….help?”

“Hannah pulls on her labia every time she uses the potty. This has to be gross, right?”

“Gia puts her hands down her pants sometimes, and my mother said I should tuck her shirt in or make her wear overalls to keep her from doing it.”
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The short answer to all of these fears, is: “Relax, your kids are completely normal!”

Why do young kids touch their genitals? 

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You Say 'Girl' Like it's a Bad Thing

11/30/2013

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I’ve been thinking a lot about the word ‘girl’ lately. Especially since I saw a new marketing campaign for an engineering toy for girls, Goldiblox, go viral. I thought the advertisement was cleaver and fun to watch. What got me thinking, was the disappointment and concern over Goldiblox being too “girly”, “girlified”, or “girlish”. The fear seems to be that Goldiblox will reinforce gender stereotypes. I do not have this fear. The only thing Goldiblox has done is add much-needed variety to toys that are marketed to girls. Since the 80s, girls have mostly been marketed princess and pink. The backlash to the “pinkification” of girls’ toys has come mostly in the form of mothers encouraging their daughters to abandon the “girly-girl” and get “tough” through sports and “smart” through engineering and math.  Consequently, the message became girls who like princesses or pink can’t be tough or smart. That being “girly” is not being tough or smart. Therefore, girls aren’t tough or smart. ​

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    About this Blog:

    I'm here to help us discuss sexuality, gender, sexual media, and social media by integrating information from academic and mainstream sources. I do this so you can be informed about what is going on in the sex research world and apply the research to your life. I hope this process produces more sexually competent people who raise sexually competent kids. 


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Copyright © 2013-2019 Megan Maas
  • Home
  • MAaS Lab
    • Lab Members
    • Our Publications
  • Speaking
    • Academic Presentations
    • Invited Addresses
  • Teaching & Training
    • MSU Courses
  • Blog
  • Resources
    • Books & Documentaries
    • Videos
  • Contact