Book Review
An overview of the book
Hayden-Reece Learns What to do if Children See Private Pictures or Private Movies by Holly-ann Martin is book that will help parents to talk with their child about the dangers of pornography.
This book provides parents with a story but most importantly the age-appropriate language to use when talking about pornography with young children. The story simply explains what children may find online, where they may find it, what to do when they find it, and why it is not good for kids to see this stuff.
Hayden-Reece Learns What to do if Children See Private Pictures or Private Movies by Holly-ann Martin is book that will help parents to talk with their child about the dangers of pornography.
This book provides parents with a story but most importantly the age-appropriate language to use when talking about pornography with young children. The story simply explains what children may find online, where they may find it, what to do when they find it, and why it is not good for kids to see this stuff.
If your child has already stumbled upon pornography, then this book is a useful tool for talking to your child about why they shouldn’t look at these images/movies and what to do when they see it again.
If your child hasn’t already found porn, then this book will help you with talking to your child about what porn is, why they should avoid it and what to do if they do accidentally find it.
This is the first book that I usually recommend to parents who want to protect their child from pornography. The other book that I usually recommend to parents with younger children is Someone Should Have Told Me.
Pornography is a tough topic to talk about. But the conversation can be a lot easier if you use a book, like this one. Books can start conversations and begin normalising topics. Kids are very accepting of topics that are in books. After all, if it’s in a book it means that it must be okay to talk about.
Plus educating kids through stories makes it a lot more interesting (for both of you). Kids love stories way more than paragraphs of text and using this book just might help your kids remember everything. I also love the child-friendly language used in this book.
When I read this book, I began taking notes on how Holly-ann described porn in the story. Then the next day, I sat down with my kids and we had our first conversation on pornography.
I started this conversation with, ‘Hey, you know how when you go online, you sometimes find things you’re not expecting to see? Like videos or photos of naked people. Well…’.
By using my notes, I effectively began our first educational porn conversation. What I loved about this book was that it gave me lots of age-appropriate language to use and a good conversation starter. Now, thanks to this book, I can comfortably talk about porn with my kids.
Ideal Age
Ideal for children aged 5 to 12 years.
Buy this book
✅ Buy a copy of Hayden-Reece Learns What to do if Children See Private Pictures or Private Movies by Holly-ann Martin from Amazon.
Video Transcription
A transcription in case you are more of a reader than a listener
Hey there! Let’s dive into a book called Hayden Reece Learns What To Do If Children See Private Pictures Or Private Movies by Holly Anne Martin. This book is a great resource for parents who want to talk to their kids about pornography. Nowadays, parenting is different from when we were kids. Children are exposed to phones, iPads, and devices at a very young age. You can’t walk down the street without seeing a toddler playing on their mom’s phone or an iPad at a cafe or doctor’s waiting room. It’s just the reality of modern parenting.
When I used to go to appointments, I would bring a big bag of toys. But now, I just grab the iPad. It’s become a common practice for us parents. As soon as our kids start using touch phones or iPads, they start exploring and playing games. Eventually, they find their way to YouTube and start watching videos. And as they learn to read, they may even start searching for things on Google or other search engines. The problem is, there’s a high risk of them stumbling upon private pictures, movies, or even porn.
As parents, we need to have open conversations with our kids about this topic. Now, I have to be honest with you, there’s still ongoing research about the effects of porn on children. It’s a tricky subject to study because of ethical considerations. We can’t conduct a research trial where half the children watch porn and the other half don’t. It’s just not right. So, we don’t have enough evidence to say for sure whether porn is harmful to the majority of children. However, we do know that it can harm some children.
Coming from a background in sexology and knowledge about child sexual development, I can tell you that sexually explicit images are not suitable for children. They simply aren’t ready to understand that kind of information. That’s why it’s crucial for us, as parents, to be able to talk to our kids about pornography.
Now, let’s get back to the book. What I love about Holly Anne’s books is that they’re not just picture books that kids can disappear with and read on their own. Instead, they’re meant to be read together, allowing for meaningful conversations. In this particular book, Holly Anne tells a story about a little boy named Hayden Reece. She talks to the kids about finding private pictures and what to do if they come across them.
Hayden Reece goes home and, oh boy, his facial expression in the picture is just priceless! He finds something he shouldn’t have seen and follows Holly Anne’s advice to stop, put the iPad down, and walk away. But then he starts worrying about telling his mom because he’s afraid she might take the iPad away. Later, he has some bad dreams and realizes he should talk to his mom about what happened.
This book is a lovely story that guides children on what to do if they accidentally come across porn. It emphasizes the importance of listening to their body signals and seeking help from a trusted adult. I think it’s a fantastic resource because it provides parents with the actual words to use when discussing this sensitive topic. Holly Anne even includes some helpful tips at the back of the book on how to approach the conversation.
She covers relevant points like the fact that it’s illegal for kids to look at porn and that they shouldn’t be seeing explicit images of children. These are important things to address when talking to our children. Having a book like this can make that first conversation a lot easier. In fact, I’ll be writing a blog post soon on how to talk to your child about pornography using this book. I think it’ll be really useful for many of you because it’s a conversation we all need to have.
I don’t know about you, but I struggled when I first talked to my kids about this stuff. It’s crazy how comfortable we can be discussing other aspects of sex, but porn can be a tough one. However, after that initial conversation, it gets easier. Now, we can have everyday, natural conversations about it.
So, in a nutshell, I highly recommend this book. It not only provides a story for you to read with your child, but it also equips you with the language and tools to have those important conversations. Trust me, it’s a valuable resource, especially since kids are bound to come across porn sooner or later. Take a look at this book and see how it can help you navigate this topic with your child.
I hope this review has been helpful. Cheers!
