Whether you are a parent, teacher or both, this is a big topic. Personally I want to be the first voice in my child's head about sex and as a homeschool mom, I may be the first. I know that chances are, kids talk amongst themselves before parents get a chance but that doesn't mean we should be talking. As homes break down I see the need for society to do something for itself and that may be sex education in the schools. There is no right way to do this because you can't please everyone. The problem is that parents are not (for the most part) doing the talking and so someone needs to.
Frankly, I was taught abstinence. I was told sex was bad, not why I shouldn't have sex before marriage. I could go on for days about how this has had a negative impact on me and my perception of sex, even as a married woman. I have had serious issues that are still not all dealt with because for the first decade of my marriage sex made me feel guilty. Gee, I wonder if it was because I was always told nothing more than not to "do it", it is "bad".
Then I have this brother who's IQ is through the roof and yet he and his girlfriend with an equally high IQ got pregnant before marriage. They got married, had the baby and seven years later through that girl's life into a horrible episode by having a divorce. My brother was taught abstinence, not safe sex. I wouldn't wish my niece away for anything, she is a blessing to all of us but it's too bad she couldn't come to parents who chose each other for the reasons that make marriage work.
I understand that abstinence is best but we are all human and more of us than not know that we have either had sex before marriage or came dang close. I do know that there are some of us who have made it to marriage as virgins and congrats on that. Still, if my children do make a poor choice by having sex before marriage I would like them to then make one right choice and do it safely. Partly because they won't be ready to be parents and partly because diseases are real. Two wrongs will not make a right when we are talking about sex.
I'm not saying pass out the condoms but I'm not against it either. I don't believe that just because you hand a kid a condom he or she will want to use it more than ever. I remember being in junior high and getting my hands on condoms. We blew them up and laughed all night long. Maybe the bottom line is that we can teach and preach and get on our high horses but then just as Sarah Palin's daughter did, our daughters may end up pregnant at a tender age.
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Perhaps the latest revelation of Sarah Palin’s 17 year old daughter’s pregnancy is a gift -A wake up call to come out of our collective coma on this hugely important subject… abstinence only programs do not work. Neither program will be 100% effective but a sex-ed program should offer ALL the facts.
And given the recent report from the CDC that 1 in 4 teens has an STD – and the rising number of AIDS cases among women in the US – It’s time.
It is our mission (my mom and me) to offer women a way to stay protected, confident, and discreet when we started our business Just in Case, Inc. (stylish compacts with mirror and hidden compartment for condoms)
We believe that women are innately modest when it comes to intimate matters – and JIC gives them a beautiful way to stay protected.
Give your children ALL the information they need and offer them the behavior you would like them to follow… the rest is up to them.
I totally agree with you. I think one of a parent's biggest duties is to arm their children with as much information (age appropriate, of course! I also think there should be an ongoing conversation, not just one "sit down") to make a right decision when the time comes. I said a right (rather than the right) decision on purpose ... it's like those SAT multiple choice questions where there's an absolutely right answer, two maybe sorta right answers, and a wrong answer. Wrong, better, best. In a perfect world, abstinence only education would be enough, but our world isn't perfect and neither are we. We don't always make the best choice. Wouldn't you rather your child made the better choice than the wrong choice because they didn't even know about the other options? How can we expect children to make the right decision without all of the facts? I believe children should be taught how to think and reason, not just what to think.
Wow, I didn't realize I had so much to say on the subject!
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