With almost three decades of experience in reproductive technology, Kim Kluger-Bell has many times witnessed the shocking and upsetting moment when an older child finds out that a donor or surrogate was involved in their conception. Through a whimsical and enchanting series of books aimed at curious three to five-year olds, children can now get a gentle introduction to donor, IVF and surrogacy conception – while learning just how special they really are.
Boulder, CO -- (SBWIRE) -- 11/10/2014 -- With the world’s population booming and dynamics of the nuclear family evolving, more people are turning to egg/sperm donors, IVF and surrogacy to start a family. Often, the biggest apprehension for these potential new parents is how they will one day answer the “where did I come from?” question. Psychotherapist Kim Kluger-Bell has witnessed many parents leave this conversation too late, so has launched a powerful series of new books for donor kids that fuses fun and story to explain the “help” their parents had in making them.
Released under the aptly-titled ‘Books for Donor Kids’ brand, ‘The Very Kind Koala: A Surrogacy Story for Children’ and ‘The Pea That Was Me’ make sure children always know the facts behind their origin.
Synopses:
‘The Very Kind Koala: A Surrogacy Story for Children’ – A charming picture book for young children which provides an introduction to surrogacy through the simple story of a koala bear and her husband who needed the help of a very kind koala to carry their baby in her pouch. Parents can begin reading this story to children as young as 3 years of age to begin the dialog about their own helpful surrogate.
‘The Pea That Was Me’ - A whimsical story of a young "pea" child asking the question of where they came from and finding out that their parents needed the help of a doctor and donor to bring them into their loving families. (The Pea book has 7 different versions, including IVF, Donor Egg, Donor Sperm, Single Mom/Sperm Donation, Two Moms/Sperm Donation, and Two Dads/Egg Donation and Surrogacy).
“While a three, four or five year-old shouldn’t of course know everything about the world, it is vital that they understand where they came from, and the help their parents had to make them so special,” explains Kluger-Bell. “I have sat in on conversations where very upset seventeen year-olds are told that they came from a donor or surrogate or even from an IVF procedure, and it’s extremely shocking for them to process. That’s why we need to give children a gentle introduction to their conception when they are much younger. It also opens the door for a better understanding of reproduction and genetics later in life.”
Continuing, “These books are also vital for would-be parents who can embrace reproductive technology in the confidence that resources exist to one day explain the process to their children.”
Since their release, the books have garnered a string of rave reviews. Virginia loved ‘The Very Kind Koala’, commenting, “For parents seeking to talk to their child about his or her surrogacy story, it is an excellent, developmentally-appropriate resource. It is a welcome addition to the children's literature on nontraditional families.”
Amazon user ‘J’ was equally as impressed with ‘The Pea That Was Me’, writing, “would recommend this book to any parents who are wondering how to explain to their child the story of egg donation. It is a great tool that will enable communicating a child's birth story to them both guided, enjoyable and purposeful.”
Both books are available now: http://amzn.to/1ydflfW.
For more information and a wealth of useful resources, visit: http://www.booksfordonorkids.com.
About Kim Kluger-Bell
Books for Donor Kids was founded by Kim Kluger-Bell, a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in reproductive issues and has worked on staff and as a consultant for major fertility clinics nationwide.
Keenly aware of the need for quality books for parents who want to begin educating their children early about their unique origins, she created The Pea That Was Me series and The Very Kind Koala: A Surrogacy Story for Children.
Always aware of the developmental stages children progress through in their intellectual growth, she has geared her books to pre-schoolers (ages 3-5): which is typically the time when children start expressing interest in "where they came from" and become aware of the fact that "babies grow in mommies' tummies."
Her books introduce children to the fundamental facts that it takes three things to make a baby: eggs, sperm, and a tummy to grow in and also tell children that their parent(s) needed help to have them!