Good Pictures Bad Pictures/Jr. Edition by Kristen A. Jenson, MA

Both of these books introduce the concept of bad pictures, calling them by name: pornography. The Jr. version is meant for children 3-7 years old and uses very simplistic language. It talks about how pictures are part of our world and where we see them. Then it introduces the idea that some pictures are actually bad for you to see because they show private body parts. Private parts are good, but taking pictures of them is not good. It talks about the different places you might see bad pictures.

Just like some things are not safe to eat or drink, some pictures are not safe to see and are like picture poison. It asks your child if they have seen any of these bad pictures before and if so, where. Then it gives practical steps for your child if they ever do see bad pictures: Turn, Run, Tell. Turn away from the bad picture, run and find a trusted adult, and tell them what you saw. There are also five safety rules given to your child to help protect themselves. There are many notes and questions in the back to help adults use the book effectively.

The original edition is meant for children eight years and older. This is a much more in-depth version with a “Let’s Talk” section at the end of each chapter. Here, they can write down answers to simple questions reviewing the material covered. There are nine very short chapters:

1. What’s Pornography?
2. What’s an Addiction?
3. My Feeling Brain
4. My Thinking Brain
5. My Two Brains Work Together
6. My Brain’s Attraction Center
7. How Pornography Tricks the Brain into an Addiction
8. My Thinking Brain’s CAN DO Plan!
9. I Can Escape the Poison of Pornography

There is also a glossary of terms, tips for parents/caregivers, and more tools to help protect kids in the back of the book.

This is a subject that few parents tackle, but that we desperately need to address with our children. Many parents fear that introducing the topic before the child knows what pornography is will, “awaken a desire” or curiosity and prove to be hurtful instead of helpful. Friends, this is almost never the case. Instead, our child, no matter how sheltered, at some point runs into a pornographic picture and then doesn’t have the tools to deal with the situation quickly and effectively.

Reaching girls about biblical purity is a passion of mine, and when preparing a presentation I sent out a survey to over 240 Christian men and women to ask about their purity journey. I was shocked at how many of them listed porn as their #1 problem. This is an issue we cannot afford to ignore.

These books, while lacking in any spiritual aspect, do an excellent job of introducing this topic in an age-appropriate way. They are written so skillfully that you do not need to have had any kind of “sex talk” with your child beforehand for them to understand and fully grasp the concepts. You will need to add to the conversation with your 8+-year-old child in the original book because the spiritual component and the discussion of sin are absent.

Both of these books are incredibly practical in their execution by giving your child tools to use the moment they encounter porn and what to do following. This is not a conversation you will likely look forward to having, but it’s so important to have it. These books make the conversation much more natural and remove much of the awkwardness. While I’d love for this to be written from a Christian perspective, I still highly recommend these books for your family.

Good Pictures Bad Pictures Jr.

Good Pictures Bad Pictures