These days, we can send sperm in the mail, freeze eggs, and donate embryos. Advances in reproductive medicine (insemination, IVF, donor conception, and surrogacy) not only enable us to create humans in all sorts of ways; they also empower us to form family in novel ways. Yet, when parents and teachers explain human reproduction, they often use the same old talk – something about a “mommy and a daddy loving each other very much.”

How do kids feel about the new technologies that bring them into the world? What is their experience when we leave their origin story out of the explanation of human reproduction, and marginalize families that don’t fit the norm? How does this impact their identity and well-being?

Using science, stories, and personal experience, educator and consultant Rachel Ginocchio discusses how to update and expand the explanation of human reproduction and family formation – both in school and at home – so that it is equally inclusive of all humans in any family structure. She explains how a richer, more complex discussion helps all kids gain a better sense of themselves, their family, and the world around them.

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Rachel Ginoccio holds a Master’s Degree in Public Health (MPH) from the University of Washington, and has been working in the field of reproductive health and sexual health education for over a dozen years. Most recently, she founded Roads to Family, through which she writes, teaches and consults about puberty, human reproduction, and family formation. She is also the author of Roads to Family: All the Ways We Come to Be. In addition, Rachel comes from a three generation family formed through foster care, adoption, and assisted reproduction.

Photo credit: Mel Latthitham