Sexual Education

[RW]

I sat in on a class years ago about sexual education and children.  I left that seminar and had a frank discussion with my 5 year olds about anatomy, sex, and sexuality.  We went over the proper name for their parts including the reproductive bits.  We talked about how babies where made and where they grow in your body and how they come out.  We talked about puberty.  We talked about all sorts of things.  It was all very matter of fact like we were talking about what happens after you chew your peanut butter and jam sandwich.  We talked about relationships including homosexuality.  We talked about transgender people (my kids had a girl who dressed and acted like a boy in their class).  We talked about how they don't have to worry about this until they are MUCH older.  We showed them what a condom looked like as well.



Now you are probably thinking I'm some sort of a sicko who is trying to rob my children of their precious innocence but really, I'm protecting them.



I know you are wondering about the condom so I'll start with that.  I showed my midgets an unrolled rubber should they come across one while playing.  Knowing what one looked like made it so they could identify it and not touch it.  I have to say it worked as when they were 7, they did come across one and knew right away what it was.



It is also important that children know the proper anatomical terms for their body parts.  The reason is two fold.  The first reason is communication. If a child is being molested and reports it to a trusted adult, that adult should know what he/she is talking about.  If a girl tells her teacher that her uncle touched her "cookie" and it upset her, that teacher may not know that "cookie" means her genitals and may not take appropriate action.  The second reason is that children who have an accurate sexual vocabulary also have an adult in their lives who talks to them about their bodies which makes them more likely to tell an adult if they have been touched.  That in turn makes them less likely to be victimized.



Talking to kids at a younger age about sex issues is also so much easier than trying to talk to a tween or teen.  You establish yourself early on as a resource and it is infinitely less awkward when they get to the age where they can truly process this stuff.  I have seen this with my own kids.  They come to us with questions and they receive accurate information and it's not awkward in the least.



I wanted to share my experience and hope those with younger kids take away something of value from this.

[keeper]

I thinks its great you have discussed sexual education with your kids.... I just wonder if they understood everything you told them? 5 years old is pretty young.

[Anonymous]

My daughter is fourteen years old..



Her school does have a relationship, sexuality and reproduction class but not until they are in grade 7 which will change to grade 6 next year..



It's from a biblical perspective and the emphasis is on abstinence..



I took the same class myself as a thirteen year old.

[RW]

I thinks its great you have discussed sexual education with your kids.... I just wonder if they understood everything you told them? 5 years old is pretty young.

They didn't but as they got older things started to click and they started to ask relevant questions.



Fash, I remember that class in Catholic school.  We teach our kids' abstinence as well but we don't keep them in the dark about anything.

[asal]

Now you are probably thinking I'm some sort of a sicko who is trying to rob my children of their precious innocence but really, I'm protecting them.

It bothers me that your approach is unusual.  It should be the norm.  I hope it is the norm somewhere - maybe in Europe?



Yes, you're protecting them, teaching them, guarding them from feeling uncomfortable.

[RW]

Now you are probably thinking I'm some sort of a sicko who is trying to rob my children of their precious innocence but really, I'm protecting them.

It bothers me that your approach is unusual.  It should be the norm.  I hope it is the norm somewhere - maybe in Europe?



Yes, you're protecting them, teaching them, guarding them from feeling uncomfortable.

It's actually the new approach they are taking in BC schools starting in Kindergarten.

[asal]

Now you are probably thinking I'm some sort of a sicko who is trying to rob my children of their precious innocence but really, I'm protecting them.

It bothers me that your approach is unusual.  It should be the norm.  I hope it is the norm somewhere - maybe in Europe?



Yes, you're protecting them, teaching them, guarding them from feeling uncomfortable.

It's actually the new approach they are taking in BC schools starting in Kindergarten.

 ac_smile good.

[@realAzhyaAryola]

It bothers me that your approach is unusual.  It should be the norm.  I hope it is the norm somewhere - maybe in Europe?



Yes, you're protecting them, teaching them, guarding them from feeling uncomfortable.

It is not unusual for me. I am a mother too. I don't have daughters. I have sons but I talk to them about these matters as well. My youngest son is funny and he'll say, "Geez, Mom, that's too graphic!" Or he'll say, "Mom, you're our Mom! Why are you telling us that?!" I laugh each time and I just say, "Oh get used to it. I'm your Mom and I will inform you of matters that I know you ought to know and understand." My sons are actually quite talkative when it comes to matters pertaining to the birds and the bees. It seems to me that each time they have something new to share, they can't wait for me to give them my feedback. I learned from my sons that the trend among young people now, male and female, is to be shaven. I guess hair is out. ac_biggrin

[Anonymous]

Mine were very young when they started asking questions about my pregnancy. My oldest was 7, my middle was 5. I don't believe in lying to them so I gave them the truth. It didn't gross them out, it didn't creep them out....and it shouldnt.  It's perfectly natural. Now that they are getting older and being more exposed to sexual content by way of other kids, music, media...et....we have more intense talks that are biblically based and focused on abstinence and the reasons for abstinence.  We talk about emotions, health and how God wants us to wait until marriage to protect us.  It's very graphic out there.

[RW]

Mine were very young when they started asking questions about my pregnancy. My oldest was 7, my middle was 5. I don't believe in lying to them so I gave them the truth. It didn't gross them out, it didn't creep them out....and it shouldnt.  It's perfectly natural. Now that they are getting older and being more exposed to sexual content by way of other kids, music, media...et....we have more intense talks that are biblically based and focused on abstinence and the reasons for abstinence.  We talk about emotions, health and how God wants us to wait until marriage to protect us.  It's very graphic out there.

I hope it includes talks about STDs, birth control, etc as well.

[Anonymous]

How do you have a sex discussion without that?  If I'm telling them that God set it up a certain way for protection, they need to understand what they are being protected from. This covers everything physical AND the emotional and mental.

[RW]

How do you have a sex discussion without that?  If I'm telling them that God set it up a certain way for protection, they need to understand what they are being protected from. This covers everything physical AND the emotional and mental.

Oh you can.  Trust me on that.

[Anonymous]

How do you have a sex discussion without that?  If I'm telling them that God set it up a certain way for protection, they need to understand what they are being protected from. This covers everything physical AND the emotional and mental.

Oh you can.  Trust me on that.

 Well then it's not an honest sex discussion, is it? Lol. No one told me much about sex growing up.  My mom over sexualized me and my grandmother was very brief on it. I want my children to have a solid foundation.