This booklet is for parents of children age 8 – 11 in heterosexual couple, solo mum and lesbian families and of all donation types. As the Telling and Talking booklets were all written before DC Network had experience of supporting gay male couples there are no direct references to these families, but the principles remain the same. It is suitable for families who are just starting to ‘tell’ between these ages and those who have already shared information with their children and are continuing the conversation at a different level as children get older. Chapters cover Making the Decision to Tell, Preparing to Tell, Language; Your Child’s Development and ‘Telling’; ‘Telling’ if you have a Known Donor; Children’s Reactions to Being Told and a final section addressing mixed feelings regarding donor conception and the fear of rejection in teenage years. Written in a clear and easy to read style, this booklet, like the other three in the series, is full of quotes from experienced parents of donor conceived children.
Parents may also want to read Telling and Talking with Family and Friends to help with openness with relatives and others and Our Family, which is designed to be given to family and friends to help their understanding of donor conception and what it means for all involved.
