If you’ve been a little timid about starting conversations with your kids about sexuality or if you feel overwhelmed about where to begin, Laurie Krieg’s newest book is a very approachable place to start. I read it cover to cover (and did a lot of underlining); Raising Wise Kids in a Sexually Broken World is a book I recommend to Christian parents of kids ages 3-10 with no hesitation.
Laurie is warm. Her writing is relatable and easy to digest. This is not a dense theology textbook that leaves you feeling intimidated or underqualified. You could easily read this book in a few sittings and walk away with practical ideas you can begin using with your kids right away.
I deeply appreciate that Laurie starts with the gospel, which is exactly where we all should start when talking to our kids about sex, sexuality, and gender. She continually brings parents back to the reality that we teach the gospel first and alongside every other conversation about these topics. This isn’t a book the stokes panic over the culture or encourages desperate hand-wringing. Rather, Raising Wise Kids help kids understand God’s design for bodies, relationships, marriage, singleness, and identity within the larger story of redemption.
The structure of the book reflects that goal well. Laurie talks about “laying the foundation” and then “walking the foundation.” She first introduces foundational truths about marriage and singleness, gender, sex, bodies, and minds, then gives parents practical ways to teach and reinforce those truths in everyday life. We can’t build if we never take the time to put down a foundation. We have to teach kids the core truths of God’s wisdom before we can add nuance and go deeper as they get older.
Another strength of the book is how personal it feels. Laurie shares stories from her own family often, including places where she misspoke or learned from a mistake. She gives many tangible ways parents can respond to cultural messaging while remaining true to historic sexual ethics. She never comes across as preachy or finger-wagging. Instead, she writes like someone sitting across the table from you, genuinely wanting to help. It is obvious throughout the book that she cares deeply about children, parents, LGBT+ people, and the Church’s witness.
A major theme running throughout the book is “the metaphor of marriage.” Laurie argues that marriage ultimately points beyond itself to God’s desire for union with His people: “God desires to be one with us.” This becomes the lens through which she discusses the topic of each chapter: marriage and singleness, gender, sex, bodies, and minds. While the book gives parents a solid start, I would not describe Raising Wise Kids as an exhaustive theological treatment of sexuality or LGBT+ topics (though I don’t think it’s trying to do so). Parents looking for deep theological nuance or extensive cultural analysis will eventually want to study additional resources.
I also appreciated the tone Laurie brings to difficult topics. She shares hard truths and heartbreaking statistics without stirring fear or outrage. Readers looking for a culture warrior approach will not find it here. Her posture is much more pastoral than combative, though some readers may feel the heavily therapeutic language (anchoring bias, parenting styles, attachment styles, right-brain anxiety) is too heavy and wish for sharper definitions or deeper engagement in certain sections. But honestly, that may be part of the book’s greatest strength. It does not overwhelm parents who are just beginning these conversations. It tenderly invites them in, gives them a place to start, and reminds them that discipleship around sexuality really does begin during toddlerhood.
My recommendation? Get Laurie’s book. Get my book. Start the conversations with your kids. Lay the foundation. Walk the foundation.
