‘Nurse Netty’ expanding to help more parents have ‘the talk’ with their children
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Jewel Akens released a hit song in the 1960s about “the birds and the bees.”
Sometimes it’s called that. Sometimes it’s simply known as, “the talk.”
Annette Dunn, a Newport Beach native, has made a career out of making those discussions less awkward and more fruitful.
“When people ask me what I do, I say I solve the problem of communication between kids and their parents,” Dunn said. “I do it through health education, talking about those hard things, like sex education, puberty, all of the things that make people really uncomfortable.”
Dunn, a registered nurse who earned a doctorate’s degree in education, launched her Sensitive Solutions business in 2014 and has taught thousands of Orange County students since then. She recently rebranded as “Nurse Netty,” and is now expanding her business online, so anyone can access her resources for kids, pre-teens and teenagers.
She still does house calls, getting kids and their parents together for some interesting conversations in a group setting, as well as one-on-on private sessions. But she now has digital products available via her website, including online classes and a digital library with short snippets on different topics.
An AI agent is also available and is being offered free for a limited time, so parents can call on Nurse Netty virtually at any moment.
“Parents are just so uncomfortable,” said Dunn, who personally has raised five children. “I really recognized the gap, especially when I did my doctorate work. All the research was showing that the parents wanted to talk to their kids, but they didn’t know how, they didn’t have the skills, they didn’t have the knowledge.
“And it’s not going to come from the kids, it has to start from the parents. The parents are the ones that have to kind of normalize it and make it comfortable, so kids feel like they can talk to their parents about anything, that they’re not going to be reprimanded or lectured. It’s really kind of that balance of creating that safe space, so kids are comfortable.”
Anne Kittleson, a Newport Beach parent, has seen the benefit that Dunn’s services provide with her three children.
“l’ll never forget,” Kittleson said. “I was in [a group] with girls, and she said, ‘Turn to your daughter and tell her what it was like the first time you had to buy a bra.’ Then you’re just facing your kid, and you have to tell them. But otherwise, I would never bring that up.”
Deodorant is another topic that can be brought up in the small group setting.
“It’s at a time when you stop doing every single thing for your kid,” Kittleson said. “You’re no longer bathing them. The kid, they start to become independent, so it’s important for them to be able to care for themselves while still being independent. This is a great way for parents to be able to care for their child while they’re learning to care for themselves ... Once you’ve had the initial one, every conversation is easier as a result.”
Chace Warmington has been involved with Dunn’s product as his three sons have matured; two currently attend Corona del Mar High and one is in college.
“She normalizes a lot of things in terms of understanding puberty and sex, and that sort of thing, from a medical point of view,” Warmington said. “She makes it very easy for kids to express themselves and ask questions and learn about this time in their life and how they are changing from adolescent into adulthood. I think she is wonderful. Matter of fact, we continue to use a lot of the verbiage that she came up with on how to communicate with your kids.”
Creating an online platform should allow plenty of opportunities for Nurse Netty to grow. Ana Mayhall, who lives in La Habra, met Dunn via LinkedIn.
She has used the AI tool to help her and her husband have a chat with their 10-year-old son Harvey on sexual education. After some initial questions, the tool gave them a schedule of questions and prompts, so they can broach the subject gradually.
“I had been looking at books, but it was very generalized,” Mayhall said. “This just was a no-brainer. It was very, very helpful, just coming up with a plan that fit his needs, the type of conversation we want to have with him based on who he is. That’s the benefit of this tool, that it helps you customize something for your child.”
Dunn has typically relied on word of mouth for her platform, and admitted she isn’t big on social media, though she does have an Instagram account. Still, she’s excited about the Nurse Netty expansion and the ability to reach a bigger audience.
She said having these difficult conversations can also lead to benefits in parents’ relationships with their children down the road.
“It’s really cool, and I didn’t realize it until now,” Dunn said. “Now that my children are adult, I didn’t realize you really could reap a reward long term. It’s almost like a lifelong benefit, so it’s worth the investment, as hard as it is. But hopefully when people use my programs, whether it’s in person or online, it’s not difficult. I think it’s very easy.”
