(Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way).
Not if, But When – Preparing our Children for Worldly Images, written by John Perritt, Illustrated by Alice Mastropaolo, Published by Christian Focus.
My son is almost 15 years old, but he is on the Autism Spectrum (ASD). As a result, he is mentally and emotionally young for his age. This is a good thing in many ways. For example, he still enjoys young, innocent programming when he watches TV. It is true that my son may never change in this area because he is also a Christian, and thus is drawn to clean programming.
However, what he is exposed is not always going to be within his control.
This is why I chose to review the book, “Not if, but When – Preparing our Children for Worldly Images,” despite the fact that it has a recommended age of 7-11 years.
The purpose of this book is to prepare children for when they are unwittingly exposed to pornography. “Not if, but When,” is geared towards a younger audience. However, it is appropriate for my son.
I read the book myself and so did my husband. Since our son is a boy, my husband and I decided it would be better for him to read the book. Also, we felt it would be better for him to discuss the content with our son. We were on spring break the week of April 6-10. Thus, this was the perfect time.
The first thing my husband noticed while reading the book was that my son was totally attentive.
In fact, more attentive than he normally is. For example, my husband does a daily Bible devotional with him on most days and our son usually makes comments on his preferred topic throughout. Not so while reading this book. This told us two things.
- He was interested in knowing more about the topic.
- It was appropriate for him.
I had first-hand experience with the “Not if, but When,” point just last week. I was on Facebook and there was a Christian page I was following that all of a sudden was showing borderline pornography in its stories. This happened two days in a row before I decided they must have been hacked. I quickly stopped following the page and blocked the content. I do not know what happened. However, I saw stuff that I would never have chosen on my own to view. And once it's in my head, it doesn't just go away.
This is the point of the book. It prepares children for what's out there and gives them tools for how to deal with it. It encourages children to seek their parents out when they see something that is uncomfortable to them so that they can talk about it.
The second day my husband read “Not if, But When – Preparing our Children for Worldly Images,” our son studied the outside of the book and continued to listen.
Our doesn't talk much and it can be extremely difficult to get him to answer questions with any kind of detail. However, when asked, he did say that he understood what was being said and answered. Also, he answered, “Uh, Huh,” when asked if he liked the book.
Not only that, my husband was able to have a little bit more of a discussion than otherwise would have been possible. So, we agreed that it was helpful with discussing a difficult, and sometimes uncomfortable subject.
In fact, our son revealed to us a couple days after finishing the book that he was getting unknown Face Time calls in the middle of the night. He stated that he hadn't answered them. And he wanted to know how to block the number.
It's not possible to know for sure, but I'm fairly confident that reading this book increased our son's awareness of the importance of letting us know if something uncomfortable occurs.
The book is written for both boys and girls. Thus, there are two story options in the book. One story is specifically written for girls and one is written for boys. The content is basically the same in both stories. The main differences reflect genders distinctions. For example, the pronouns used are different.
Each story in “Not if, But When – Preparing our Children for Worldly Images,” is divided into smaller segments:
- One of God's Greatest Gifts
- The Gift's Instructions
- Opening the Gift too Early
- Distorting the Gift
- Worshiping the Gift
- Enjoying the Gift
- Breaking the Gift
- The Gift's Purpose
- Conclusion
Don't forget to check out the awesome book, “Not if, but When – Preparing Your Children for Worldly Images,” at Christian Focus. And while you're there, check out their other awesome books.
Click the image below to read what other Homeschool Review Crew members have to say about “Not if, But When.”
