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Cuddle Bugs writer Sarah Moore brought up a very good, and scary, question recently over at Momtalk.

Says Sarah:

I could use some advice on when and how to give my 10 and a half year old stepdaughter “the talk.”

Sarah isn’t alone. I could definitely use some advice on when and how to talk to Mini about birds, bees, etc.

I grew up with two brothers. My parents never really gave me “the talk.” So, to say that the whole idea of Mini getting closer to being a female teenager than a little girl tweenager scares me, is quite the understatement.

Mini has read a book called “It’s a Girl Thing” and my understanding (she wouldn’t really talk about it with me) is that it’s about the changes that a girl’s body goes through as she matures. Exactly how detailed the book is, I’m not sure.

What I am sure of is that I’m glad AM is here to help. I’m going to rely on AM to help me through explaining anything to Mini that she needs, especially regarding her body.

I think I can handle the emotional changes. Girls will like boys and vice versa. The important thing is that there’s no physical contact and if someone tries to touch her inappropriately, that Mini know what to do.

If only I could build a dungeon…

How did you parents handle “the talk”? How have you handled it? Leave your questions, suggestions and ideas in the comments. Please. I could use all the help I can get!

There’s a new group over at the MomTalk communities just for dads. It’s called The Dad Zone and it’s going to be your source for all the good dad information you can get your hands on.

All you moms out there should get the dads involved. Send them to The Dad Zone, get them registered and help them share their experiences, suggestions, ideas and questions.

The Dad Zone is the perfect place for dads to come and talk about all the facets of being the male parental unit. We face challenges moms don’t, we have ideas moms don’t and often, we’re disregarded as parents by society at large. The Dad Zone is our safe haven, guys, to talk about all that stuff that our wives, girlfriends or significant others don’t care to hear about. We can share ideas and ways to be better dads to our kids.

Come on out, dads, to The Dad Zone. It’s only at MomTalk.

January is “Nutrition Month” here at MomTalk, so we’re all looking at different ways to manage the intake of less-than healthy food for our children. I’ve talked before about the challenges of feeding Mini and the impact of processed and fast foods on my weight. I’ve got a big challenge this coming week.

Mini is coming over for 4 days and nights (she comes over tonight and leaves Sunday afternoon). There’s going to be a significant amount of pressure to “do the easy thing” for meals, which is run to McDonald’s, Bojangles or Chuck E. Cheese. And the pressure isn’t completely incorrect. Fast food is…fast. It’s quick and easy and you can drive through and eat on the way to where ever you’re going.

So, we’ll have to work extra,extra hard to eat at home this weekend. And that may mean dealing with some whining from Mini about it. It’s going to take some pre-planning of meals (especially breakfast and lunch) and some packed snacks in case we go anywhere (I’m hoping for good weather so we can hit the parks).

The hardest part of feeding Mini healthily is that she doesn’t always eat the best when she’s at home. She tells me stories of having two dinners (one on the way home from school and another during the early evening), plus a snack at bedtime. That’s a horrible habit to break and, like all children, she gets cranky when not fed on her schedule.

It’s a challenge to try to do the right thing, instead of the easy thing, when it comes to feeding Mini. Switching up water or juice for soda, three cookies instead of five or seven or ten, and one dinner instead of two. But she’s learning the food habits that will impact the rest of her life now. Teaching her a more healthy way to eat will extend her life. Getting her to see that is pretty hard, though.

What challenges do you face in keeping a healthy diet for your tweenager? Share you ideas, suggestions and questions in the comments.

We’re exploring ideas on adding audio and video to TweenBeat(and all the MomTalk blogs). I’m curious about what you, dear readers, would like to see, and hear, from us.

What sort of videos would you like? I’m tossing around ideas for “how-tos” (like, exactly how do you put together that new children’s desk?), cooking ideas, park tours (being a member of the City of Jacksonville’s Recreation and Parks commission, that’d be a two-birds-one-stone video!), interviews with local activity providers (Council for the Arts, recreation center supervisors, etc) and me talking to the camera about this or that adventure with Mini. She’ll need to remain “off-camera” to protect her, but just about anything else is possible. What would you like to see?

What sort of audio posts would you enjoy? I think audio-tours of Jacksonville (and the surrounding areas) and its parks could be fun and interviews with Mini about her ideas on being a tween would certainly be funny and entertaining. But, again, what would you like to hear?

Help us to provide you the best source for parenting in Eastern NC. Share your ideas and suggestions in the comments.