November 18, 2014 8:06 AM

When it comes to sex, it's ALWAYS best for parents to pretend kids aren't doing it

Parents at an elite magnet school in Chicago are up in arms over a sex education program for fifth graders that talks frankly about female condoms and lube. Under Chicago Public Schools’ new sex education curriculum, basic sex ed starts in kindergarten. By fifth grade, kids are supposed to learn about contraception, which includes female condoms…. [A]s DNAinfo notes, more than half of CPS students say they’ve had sex — and 12 percent report having sex before the age of 13. Cook County also leads the country in cases of gonorrhea and syphilis, and more than a third of students say they didn’t use condoms. CPS also had nearly a thousand reports of sexual harassment or misconduct in one school year.

There are times when I can (sort of) understand our collective Puritanism and prudery when it comes to sex and sexuality. If you grew up being taught that sex is dirty and nasty, there’s every chance you’re going to be passing that attitude along to your own children. It seems we’re so terrified of sex, so thoroughly unprepared for the idea that some folks might be (GASP!!!) enjoying it. Even worse, we cringe at the idea of teaching our children about sex…because then they might want to have it…end (Oh, the humanity) enjoy it.

I don’t put a lot of stock in parents losing their $#!% over sex education. Frankly, if it was up to most parents, their kids would NEVER learn about sex and sexuality…which is exactly why we have things like sexually transmitted diseases and teen pregnancy. Not teaching children about sex is like not teaching them how to drive a car before handing them the keys to a BMW and sending them on a road trip during rush hour. Most parents are too embarrassed to have “the talk” with their child, so they pass it off onto the school system, only to be outraged when the schools actually do their job.

Granted, it sounds as if Chicago Public Schools could have handled their sex education curriculum more artfully and with a good deal more alacrity and wisdom. That’s something which should certainly be addressed, but for parents to be up in arms over the idea that their children are learning about sex and sexuality borders on absurd. Especially in this era of HIV/AIDS and STDs, children need to learn about sex. It needs to be demystified and destigmatized in order that children don’t grow ignorant and/or fearful when it comes to sex.

Instead of reacting with outrage and anger, perhaps parents should actively participate in the sexual education of their children. What better way for children to learn the truth than to hear it from their parents? Unfortunately, too many adults are still burdened by shame and are far too embarrassed to talk to their children about sex…and so kids end up learning about it from the Internet and their friends…or from schools who handle sex education in a ham-handed manner.

Kids deserve to know the truth about sex, not the vague disinformation that Conservative dogma deems appropriate. If you want to stop teen pregnancies and STDs, a child’s best weapon is education- not fear, shame, and misinformation. They should understand that sexual pleasure isn’t evil, and that sex is and can a wonderful, beautiful thing. They should learn that talking about issues surrounding human sexuality like masturbation and orgasms isn’t “pornography;” it’s part and parcel of the human condition. Demonizing sexuality isn’t the way to education our children and teach them to make sound decisions…but how can we expect to teach our children that when the adults don’t get it?

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This page contains a single entry by Jack Cluth published on November 18, 2014 8:06 AM.

The Republican hive mind explained by (GASP!!!) science was the previous entry in this blog.

Another (not so very) great moment in marketing: Thanks, but I'll have the Sriracha sauce is the next entry in this blog.

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