Sex ED

[PlayboyMegan]

In your opinion, what grade should sex education be taught in school, if ever?
I guess my friend in Las Vegas was saying on FB that they were teaching Sex Ed to her kindergartner :shock:

 

[AllisonWilder]

We learned some basics in 8th grade (so 13-14ish), nothing graphic, but basically enough to get the point across that unprotected sex results in unplanned pregnancies and very unhappy parents. Then we learned specifics about reproduction, child birth, abstinence/protection and other such things in 10th grade (15-16ish) health class. I feel like these were good ages to really start talking about sex education and while I'll most likely be teaching my son at home, I'm not opposed to him learning about it in school, too. But that's 10+ years away so there might not even be sex ed in schools then so who knows?

Edit: I just re-read that bit about kindergarten students being taught and that is definitely way too young.

 

[Kunra9]

kindergarten is wayyyyyyy too young

I think my first sex ed exposure was 6th grade, and we all did nothing but giggle every time the word penis was said.
Probably didn't learn crap.

But these days people are banging younger all the time. So 6th grade-ish is probably a decent age.

 

[Zoomer]

Define sex ed though... just general teaching about relationships? Or the ins and outs of various body parts and their functions? Or graphic "this is sex!"
I don't see the problem with learning about bodies, it's all part of biology and material to learn. I doubt it's in any depth, more just the names for organs etc.
I also don't see a problem with broaching relationships and respect etc that the UK seems to do with the younger generation. May as well...

We did Biology of the male and female reproductive system at age 11 - in detail.
I think we did it again at age 14/15 (though this time included contraception too and other such ... less science topics).

Nothing about relationships or any of the more modern curriculum material though.

But if it's teaching young children about the body - don't see the problem. If it is teaching about relationships, responsibilities, feelings and so on - nothing wrong there either. If they're being sat down for a hardcore lesson of sex education - then I'd question the point. I doubt they'd really gain much.

 

[IsabellaSnow]

I started being taught it in the last year of junior school, which is 10/11. Actually it might have been the year before that... I think that's about the right age to learn it.

Before then we all knew what sex was, and how babies are made. I mean anyone who's had animals or watched wildlife programs or spent any time around nature will know what it is, not counting all the stuff we see on tv. I think I learned what sex actually was at a pretty young age. I think it should be essential to learn what it is around the ages of 10/11, because especially for females at that age their bodies are growing and developing at a very fast rate and it needs to be understood. For most girls they will need to start wearing bras from 12 to 13, and even if they don't necessarily need them, they will probably start wearing them anyway. And same comes with when girls start menstruating. I don't know how it was for men, but for me it was an extremely scary, confusing and embarrassing time even with the wealth of knowledge and support I was offered.

The actual sex part of the education was not the focus although obviously it was a part of it. This you have to be careful with more because it is extremely embarrassing at the age of say, 10 watching anything sexual to do with school! I can remember girls who sat at the front of the class to watch the films we watched were teased because it was like they actually wanted to watch it. We all kind of pretended not to pay attention. Although sex is important, with tv as it is, and well, basic nature it's kind of self taught, other things aren't.

I went to all girls schools all through this time so I have no idea what education boys are offered. One thing I think boys should be taught in depth is the boundaries of whether a girl is consenting or not. Most guys I know have very weird ideas of what rape is. To them they think it should be very clear what the boundaries are, for example you would have to physically be violent and force someone. This just isn't the case. Often a man will pressure and harass a girl he is being intimate with until she lets him fuck her, which to the guy might not seem like he's doing anything wrong, all he's thinking about at the time is his penis. Other times are if a girl is drunk and alone with a man, the man might pursue to start having sex with her without really thinking it through. A friend of mine was raped by a guy, actually in my bathroom whilst me and my flatmate had some people over. It was pretty clear it was rape to me as I was with her that night, but because they were alone, she was drunk, there was no violence involved, to most people there would be serious question marks raised.
I think a lot of these things are down to lack of communication skills and maybe if boys were more thoroughly educated in the boundaries, which are extremely blurred on this subject, then maybe it might decrease the amount of domestic rapes. Boys do think with their cocks, when they're horny they can be an unstoppable force and can get all the signals wrong/imagine signals. Sometimes they just assume if they're kissing a girl and the girl ends up alone with them then it automatically means they can push for sex.

Another thing I think would be good to be taught more in schools: Blue balls is NOT a medical condition. Men get hard and horny a LOT. They do not cum every time they are horny. A man can have sex and not cum. He can have a blowjob and not cum. It may be frustrating for him, and I've heard it can sometimes hurt, but medically it is not remotely damaging. I got a lot of guys trying to pressure me into sex when I was a teenager for this one. I think it would be good if all girls know that it is bullshit instead of feeling guilty and pressured into sex because it's their fault the guy is horny and now he's going to be in pain.

I also think now that sti testing is so easy that there should be some kind of screening available in schools. Sti's are an issue and extremely common but easily treated. The reason most don't get them is because they never get round to it or just don't think about it.

 

[Rebecca Buck]

I was in the 5th grade when we got separated by gender. Girls got a brown baggie with a menstrual pad, a stick of deodorant, and a fake flower. The boys just got some deodorant and some cheap candy or something... They told all us girls about our time of the month and everything, and that was pretty much that.

Then in 7th grade we had an actual sex-ed class for one semester. I felt pretty fortunate that our teacher was one of the 'cooler' teachers, and made it seem a lot less awkward.

And then by 9th grade I had another "human health" class, but quickly stopped paying attention when we were given the speech about how "you are like a rose. You can give your petals away, or you can save all of them for a special someone" implying that if girls wanna just fuck whoever they want, they won't be pretty anymore or some shit. Most of that class was based around abstinence-only education. When it came time to learn about other methods of birth control, we were told to just google the pill and the condom and that was it.

I don't think kindergarten is too young as long as the right subject matter is approached. Kindergarten is the time to teach kids more about feelings and relationships, not so much about the actual inner-workings of sex. Sex is something kids need to start being told about around age 12-13. Though, I'm one to say that more important than the mechanical aspect of it, there needs to be a bit more emphasis on relationships and what a healthy relationship is supposed to look like and stuff like that. Sex is easy. The parts leading up to and after it seem to be the most complicated and anxiety-inducing times for many people, especially young adults.

 

[Deleted member 8603]

I was in the 5th grade when we got separated by gender. Girls got a brown baggie with a menstrual pad, a stick of deodorant, and a fake flower. The boys just got some deodorant and some cheap candy or something... They told all us girls about our time of the month and everything, and that was pretty much that.

Then in 7th grade we had an actual sex-ed class for one semester. I felt pretty fortunate that our teacher was one of the 'cooler' teachers, and made it seem a lot less awkward.

And then by 9th grade I had another "human health" class, but quickly stopped paying attention when we were given the speech about how "you are like a rose. You can give your petals away, or you can save all of them for a special someone" implying that if girls wanna just fuck whoever they want, they won't be pretty anymore or some shit. Most of that class was based around abstinence-only education. When it came time to learn about other methods of birth control, we were told to just google the pill and the condom and that was it.

I don't think kindergarten is too young as long as the right subject matter is approached. Kindergarten is the time to teach kids more about feelings and relationships, not so much about the actual inner-workings of sex. Sex is something kids need to start being told about around age 12-13. Though, I'm one to say that more important than the mechanical aspect of it, there needs to be a bit more emphasis on relationships and what a healthy relationship is supposed to look like and stuff like that. Sex is easy. The parts leading up to and after it seem to be the most complicated and anxiety-inducing times for many people, especially young adults.

We were like tape, and the more things you stick us to, the less we stick, until we die alone and stickyless. :lol:

 

[Poker_Babe]

It's true in Chicago
I personally think that Kindergarten is too young for schools to be teaching it to kids.

I do however advocate that all parents educate their kids about pedophiles, inappropriate touching/behavior, grooming, etc... as early as possible. There is no reason, in this day and age why ANY child should be unaware of these things.

 

[Rebecca Buck]

I was in the 5th grade when we got separated by gender. Girls got a brown baggie with a menstrual pad, a stick of deodorant, and a fake flower. The boys just got some deodorant and some cheap candy or something... They told all us girls about our time of the month and everything, and that was pretty much that.

Then in 7th grade we had an actual sex-ed class for one semester. I felt pretty fortunate that our teacher was one of the 'cooler' teachers, and made it seem a lot less awkward.

And then by 9th grade I had another "human health" class, but quickly stopped paying attention when we were given the speech about how "you are like a rose. You can give your petals away, or you can save all of them for a special someone" implying that if girls wanna just fuck whoever they want, they won't be pretty anymore or some shit. Most of that class was based around abstinence-only education. When it came time to learn about other methods of birth control, we were told to just google the pill and the condom and that was it.

I don't think kindergarten is too young as long as the right subject matter is approached. Kindergarten is the time to teach kids more about feelings and relationships, not so much about the actual inner-workings of sex. Sex is something kids need to start being told about around age 12-13. Though, I'm one to say that more important than the mechanical aspect of it, there needs to be a bit more emphasis on relationships and what a healthy relationship is supposed to look like and stuff like that. Sex is easy. The parts leading up to and after it seem to be the most complicated and anxiety-inducing times for many people, especially young adults.

We were like tape, and the more things you stick us to, the less we stick, until we die alone and stickyless. :lol:

Noooo! I don't want to die an ugly, petal-less, unsticky... thing! XD

But seriously, I wish there was more of an emphasis on the idea that sex feels good, so you should have as much of it as you responsibly can handle with as many partners as you feel you can responsibly handle. That's obviously less of an issue for boys than it is for girls, because god forbid a girl gives it up and is teased for being a slut in highschool. Also god forbid she doesn't give it up and be teased for being a prude.

Sex ed should also include information about LGBTQ struggles, types of sexuality (homo, hetero, bi, queer, and asexual). I wish more kids grew up know that the labels are meant to describe YOU, instead of you have to fit perfectly into one label or the other.

 

[VeeValencia]

Yes kindergarten may be a little too young but I think in some cases in can be at the parents' discresion. I learned about sex when I was in third grade by some by some seventh graders. My friend and I begged these kids in our daycare to tell us what they had learned about sex. They explained it in a very simple and PG way, "The rooster goes to Virginia." I think that was the metaphor that was used (I can't believe I still remember that lol).

Learning that at 9 years old definitely didn't traumatize me or make me want to try having sex sooner than I should have. My parents were pretty grateful that they didn't have to explain it to me when they tried giving the "the talk" a few years later. I think I was officially taught in the eighth grade but I think it would be ok to teach it a bit younger. I turned out ok lol, I actually didn't do anything sexual until I was 17 and lost my virginity at 18.

 

[NicoleRiley]

When I went to school, in grade 5 the girls and boys were split up and taught about our bodies (it was amazing how many girls weren't taught about periods at home), but no sex talk. Then in grade 9 and 10 we were taught sex ed.

I honestly think they should be doing it younger now, as well as the drug talk. My 13 year old sister has friends who have lost their virginity and smoked pot, and when I was her age I honestly was terrified to even hold hands with a boy! I feel like they should be taught sex ed in grade 6 or 7 now, and the "body talk" should be younger than grade 5.

Yeah kindergarten is faaaarrr too young!

 

[Rose]

Unfortunately I started puberty at 7 and NOBODY explained anything to me until I was over 13 and it was way too late for anything because it had already happened, I'd already done it and I'd already figured it out for myself. I learned everything for myself with the help of curious friends and the internet.

I don't think Kindergarten is too young as long as the content and presentation is age appropriate. Ex: boys and girls have different parts, etc. Though it doesn't need to be too much more in depth at that age. I think sex education should start young with age appropriate content and presentation and then continue with gradually progressive lessons until said kid turns 18.

Too many kids don't get appropriate or acceptable sex education at home so I think it's important that they're given the opportunity to learn about it in a non-biased environment where they won't be judged for having questions.

 

[Just Me]

Unfortunately I started puberty at 7 and NOBODY explained anything to me until I was over 13 and it was way too late for anything because it had already happened, I'd already done it and I'd already figured it out for myself. I learned everything for myself with the help of curious friends and the internet.

I don't think Kindergarten is too young as long as the content and presentation is age appropriate. Ex: boys and girls have different parts, etc. Though it doesn't need to be too much more in depth at that age. I think sex education should start young with age appropriate content and presentation and then continue with gradually progressive lessons until said kid turns 18.

Too many kids don't get appropriate or acceptable sex education at home so I think it's important that they're given the opportunity to learn about it in a non-biased environment where they won't be judged for having questions.

I could not agree more with you. The earlier the better if it is age appropriate and understandable to them.

 

[IsabellaSnow]

I could not agree more with you. The earlier the better if it is age appropriate and understandable to them.

Yes I mean sex is the most basic of instincts. There are actually glitches in puberty around the age of 5 where kids sometimes start getting really, well, not sexually active because their parts don't actually work, but they get interested in sex even though they don't actually understand it. This is what can lead to experimentation with other children etc. Actually there has been a case (this is very sick) of the youngest mother who was 6 years old, because she had this glitch in puberty at about 5, and um, yeah, as the oldest father recorded is like 11, it's pretty dam sick. Happened somewhere in south America.

Children can be made aware of certain things without ruining their innocence. Even if it's just making children aware of boundaries with other children in those areas, which might perhaps help children who have to deal with sexual abuse from older children, or at least educate the older children to realise that touching a younger child/experimenting with a younger child is wrong.

Nothing has to be spelled out in graphic detail, there are just ages where little bits of education on the subject might train the ideas into childrens heads, like touching or being touched without permission is wrong, that animals hump to make babies. That love and romance are wonderful things. That's pretty much as far as you'd need to go, and children could be taught that in nursery without it destroying any innocence. In fact it might protect them.

I know personally I started masturbating before I really understood sex. From at least 7/8 years old, and I was thinking about sexual things from even younger. No way would I have thought the idea of sex would be attractive, nor would it have been physically possible, but there were certain parts of my body that were working before my mind, and I know I am not the only one. Many of my friends have admitted to the same thing. Because of this I do think some light education from a much earlier age might put a few scared minds at ease. I mean genuinely at the time I thought there was something seriously wrong with me.

 

[camstory]

I am not going to get any further involved than this one post. And I'm not even going to hunt down the links, because that will get me involved. But if you are really interested in what the correct age roughly might be to start sex ed, and think you might be able to leave open a tiny sliver of posibabilty that what you think is right or wrong about young children learning about sex, could be bc societal and cultural programing, rather than what the evidence suggest, than Google Dutch sex ed, or sex ed Holland. Google early sex ed vs teen pregnancy. Google sex ed kindergarten vs teen STD. The evidence is pretty clear that children who start to learn about sex at a preschool or kindergarten age, grow up to be young adults, and adults who have healthier understandings, and make better choices about sex than those who only get sex ed later.

But I imagine most will not be able to get past that thing of its just wrong. When I came face to face with it, (a 4 year old being given information not advanced beyond his ability to understand, or vocabulary, but nothing less either. It was probably three weeks before a crack in my " That's wrong, it's just wrong" 110% attitude, let in a tiny ray of light, that first only shown on my closed mindedness. I saw i had not even allowed any consideration of anything be what i knew to be right. So just to go through the motions I started to think about it a little, but not because I was wrong, but just so I could prove to myself I was right. I thought of a few things that might make sense from a different POV, but it seemed wrong even these. Well over the next month these little things bugged me enough, that I started to think deeply about it, and once I knew I had been wrong about a thing or two, I realized I could be wrong about just about all of it, because this strong 110% belief I had was built 110% on what I had been programed to believe and not facts. (Though having everybody know the same thing can really make you believe that something must be 110% fact.)

It turns out I was wrong about just about everything I had so strongly believed must be. And since coming to that I have researched it beyond my personal journey through working it out, and this time the evidence did confirm what I now know. But you can never take that journey if you refuse to even look down the path.

 

[PlayboyMegan]

I'd say 8year olds should learn about periods and stuff. I think that's 2nd grade? But actual intercourse should be taught in 6th grade.
Edit: I'm definitely torn on the subject but I feel that if you take an innocent 6 yo and teach them about sex, they might get curious and try to do it. If they know nothing about it, they won't.

 

[Rose]

I'd say 8year olds should learn about periods and stuff. I think that's 2nd grade? But actual intercourse should be taught in 6th grade.
Edit: I'm definitely torn on the subject but I feel that if you take an innocent 6 yo and teach them about sex, they might get curious and try to do it. If they know nothing about it, they won't.

A 6 year old doesn't need to know about sex. They do need to start learning the foundations of sex ed though. There's a difference.

It's kind of like math. Before you can learn how to multiply you need to learn how to count. In this case the sooner they start learning age appropriate sex ed the easier it will be to teach the 'difficult' stuff later on so that they'll be able to have the knowledge to make better decisions about it later on in life when put in adult situations. If learning about sex ed wasn't treated like such a crime then I don't think so many kiddos would misuse that information as much.

I think the fact that most sex ed courses just jump straight into reproduction is part of what screws kids up so bad. At least that's how they teach it in schools down here. They don't discuss erections, arousal, why people naturally want to have sex or even how to have sex. Most schools just say boys have penises and make sperm, girls have vaginas and somewhere in the vagina (they rarely get specific or even discuss what a uterus is until you're well into high school and most likely already aware of what a uterus and a period is) there's an egg that will somehow magically get fertilized by kissing. :roll: I think if they taught sex ed like they taught math or languages then kids would have better knowledge of the subject and would be better equipped to deal with it and make smarter decisions.

 

[AllisonWilder]

I'd say 8year olds should learn about periods and stuff. I think that's 2nd grade? But actual intercourse should be taught in 6th grade.
Edit: I'm definitely torn on the subject but I feel that if you take an innocent 6 yo and teach them about sex, they might get curious and try to do it. If they know nothing about it, they won't.

A 6 year old doesn't need to know about sex. They do need to start learning the foundations of sex ed though. There's a difference.

It's kind of like math. Before you can learn how to multiply you need to learn how to count. In this case the sooner they start learning age appropriate sex ed the easier it will be to teach the 'difficult' stuff later on so that they'll be able to have the knowledge to make better decisions about it later on in life when put in adult situations. If learning about sex ed wasn't treated like such a crime then I don't think so many kiddos would misuse that information as much.

I think the fact that most sex ed courses just jump straight into reproduction is part of what screws kids up so bad. At least that's how they teach it in schools down here. They don't discuss erections, arousal, why people naturally want to have sex or even how to have sex. Most schools just say boys have penises and make sperm, girls have vaginas and somewhere in the vagina (they rarely get specific or even discuss what a uterus is until you're well into high school and most likely already aware of what a uterus and a period is) there's an egg that will somehow magically get fertilized by kissing. :roll: I think if they taught sex ed like they taught math or languages then kids would have better knowledge of the subject and would be better equipped to deal with it and make smarter decisions.

I think that this method would be ideal, but I can't imagine a whole lot of parents letting this happen. There are so many adults in the world that are uncomfortable with sex and sexuality in general that they'd yank their kids from these classes and they would miss out on what would actually be worthwhile education.

 

[southsamurai]

am i wrong in detecting a difference in what people think sex ed is? from what i understand of it the main point is to teach 3 things: human physical development during puberty, the bare scientific facts of reproduction, i.e. penis goes in vagina, ejects sperm which meets egg, thus a baby is made. and lastly the importance of contraception is preventing pregnancy and disease.

if that is correct, and it is what we were taught more or less down here in NC, then it is all basic science and doesnt have to be taught in a way which could even be remotely considered pornographic. if i'm wrong, and other areas are teaching more than those basics then im so out of touch that i have no idea wtf is going on lol.

on the personal experience tip: my family always made sure that my generation of kids was as educated as they could make us, so we all had early exposure to the basic principles of where babies come from as soon as we were old enough to ask. my sister started her menstruation a bit earlier than a lot of girls and she was happy and felt like it was a rite of passage because she knew what was coming and what it meant. my female cousins have said it was the same for them, and they all started around 9 or 10. none of us had children before we were legally adults, and with the exception of myself and one other cousin remained virgins until our late teens and early twenties.
our sexual lives are all healthy and varied, but without undue promiscuity, and obviously we arent afraid to discuss the topic freely within our own generation. so just from what i can glean from that small sample group i cant see any harm o early childhood education of sexual matters as long as it is scaled to the readiness of the individual.

 

[LadyLuna]

Kindergarten:

-girls and boys have different parts
-adults who care about each other can get together to make babies
-if someone wants to touch your private parts, tell on them

Maybe I shouldn't talk on this, I don't know. I asked how babies were made in the summer between kindergarten and first grade, shortly after my 6th birthday. The way my mother explained it led me to believe that it was something that should wait until I had someone who really cared about me. And I do not regret that one bit.

I do believe that a few years after kindergarten, they should do the puberty changes bit, because some girls will start developing early, and boys (from what I hear) are starting to experience erections at 8 or 9. They should be told it's okay to explore the sensations on their own in the bath or shower, but that they should keep those things private.

12 or 13 is when I would tell them about how reproduction fits into it. Not sure when birth control should fit in though. I know the pill is perfectly safe for anyone over 18, but I don't think much has been done on finding out what it would do in younger girls... But that has to be taught, 15 or 16 at the latest. Also teach that no birth control method is 100% effective at preventing pregnancy or std's. That's also when relationships need to be touched on. The fact that a baby is best off with a mother figure and a father figure, even if those aren't the biological mother and father. But that if the choice is between no mother and an abusive one, or no father and an abusive one, they're better off without the abusive parent. What abuse looks like is another important one- teenagers are easy prey for abusers. And that goes for both sexes.

In college I learned a saying that I think might be really effective with teenagers, especially girls- if you can't trust him with your purse, how can you trust him with your life? And to teach them that trusting someone enough to have physical sex with them is trusting them with your life, if you don't get tested for std's.

 

[Anonymous]

Teaching Sex Ed to a Kindergarten class (5-year olds)? Yikes..... When I was in high school, I think there was a class called 'Health', a 'Learning About Children' class, and a 'Working With Children' class.

In the 10th or 11th grade, we did a cool project called 'Baby Think It Over' where we got to take home a doll baby that was programmed to cry every _ hours, and the longer it took you to tend to the crying baby (you had to put a bottle in its mouth, or you could put a key into its back, to turn off the crying), the more points you lost. When you returned it to your teacher, your grade was based on how many points you scored.

http://www.realityworks.com/categories/ ... simulators

I found some YouTube videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUPrsgfK ... xBmjm69gOV

I had seen the website (or maybe it was a printed catalog?), and they even had a "drug-affected" doll baby that was programmed to cry a lot more often than the normal doll babies. Interesting.

And then there was the high school class where they talked about conception, and they had the class watch a video (remember VHS? Lol) of women giving birth. And kids in the class were like "Ewww!" :lol: I wasn't one of the people who said "Ew" though, because I thought the whole thing was just amazing.

 

[JordanBlack]

I think everybody should learn human anatomy at its basics earlier then 14. I know back in the day I was a kid and my period came when I was around 10 years old, I was clueless about anything, lucky I had my mother (biology professor) and my older sister.

Here we don't get SexEd classes, everything's taught in biology. Biology classes are mandatory since 4th grade until the 12th grade, end of high-school. I strongly agree with these classes, because as human beings, nothing's more important then know your own body.

Now my mother has dealt with kids in the 11th grade (17yo) that said & I quote "AIDS is brought in by birds* and that's the least of the stupidest kind of remarks brought by kids that either haven't paid attention in class, either didn't have parents open enough to talk about sex, diseases and human anatomy in general.

I don't know about you ladies, but being a cam girl for quite awhile, I've met my share of people that had no clue whatsoever about human anatomy.

Again, I see no shame in educating a kid quite early in his/her life about the most natural things that would occur sooner or later in his/her life.

 

[LaceyRoyce]

at a young age they learn their body parts. WHat makes a boy a boy and a girl a girl.

a little older, they learn about how periods happen. Maybe that touching yourself is ok but should be done privately (I started masturbating very young). the basics of reproduction.

Then they learn about relationships, stds and protection, how to put a condom on, how various religions view sex, CONSENT and what that means!

Finally, i full believe they should be able to learn about... at like 17-18 the world of fetishes, porn, karma sutra, 'how to' work the parts that they have, foreplay, etc.

 

[TeaganO'Holloran]

Ironically, I never took Sex ED. I was in a special school for kids with emotional problems (I had just gotten out of private school, and my foster home wouldn't let me go to a public school without a median), and they didn't trust us mentally to handle it (for good reason, some of the kids were cray-cray.) I just happened to have been an avid reader and learned my ed from books. Ironically, my ability to give good blowjobs (to toys, lol) is due to my high school fascination with reading gay porn.

That said, I honestly think Sex ED should be taught at the earliest age children start to have sex at. So... if kids are starting to have sex at age 10, we should start the education at 10.

I also think we need to teac ED for kids who are not heterosexual/cisgendered as well.

 

[Diana Blake]

As someone that grew up in the deep south where people tend to look down on the idea of sexual education well...let's just say that my high school had a very full daycare, m'kay?

Our first look at sex ed was the fifth grade when we were told about deodorant and "feminine napkins" and what they were used for. Which was great for all the boys because none of them had hit puberty yet but kind of terrible for all the girls that had already had their periods for the first time and now felt like they were some sort of freak for not starting at 13 which we were taught was the "absolute earliest" a girl would start her period. Not the best start on the education front.

Fast forward to I think...10th grade? Yeah. And we were all put through that "you kissed everyone they kissed" experiment and then shown an hour's worth of diseased genitals. And not just like slightly diseased that you might see in real life but "Holy crap, we have to photograph that and put it in a video to scare children" type of venereal disease. There was one image of genital warts that I will always refer to as "the cauliflower cock" for the rest of my life. Everyone that I was in the 10th grade with immediately knows what I'm talking about. It was just that terrifying.

It didn't stop kids from having sex though. And since we didn't go over things like birth control or condoms well...babies happened.

I think hiding sexuality and shrouding it in mystery kind of backfires, it's like drinking and smoking. If mom and dad don't want you doing it it must be really cool. And dude, orgasms rock so in this case they're kinda right buuuuut...I think at around age six or seven there should be an explanation of what puberty is and why it happens. In America, girls hitting puberty before 9 or 10 has been on the rise for years. There are even cases of 7 and 8 year olds hitting puberty. Poor girls should not have a moment like the girl in Carrie just because they weren't told what to expect.

At around 12 or 13 there should be a full class on what sex is, what it does, why we like it and what it can cause. When I was in school girls were basically told that virginity was the only way you'd ever get married and sex would automatically give you babies. Like, boom. Pregnant. Life over. Well, once that was proved wrong through careful testing what kept the girls from assuming that everything they were taught was wrong? I mean, what's wrong with the truth? The truth is scarier.

"Girls, if you have unprotected sex you risk getting an STI or getting pregnant. When you're pregnant your deodorant stops working so you stink. You pee yourself when you sneeze, laugh, cough or move too quickly. You will fart in front of a room of your peers. Loudly. You will throw up every time you pass a coffee shop and there are at lease 15 between you and the school on the bus every morning. Your shoes won't fit. Your boobs will leak yellowish goo. You'll be too fat to fit in the desk and everything will make you either cry, pee, throw up or fall asleep. You will assault your best friend for her bag of funyuns. Your best friend likes her funyuns so please...use a condom."

That's the shit that would have gotten my attention man. Scare tactics aren't the way to go when honesty is even scarier. Tell our kids the truth and give them access to safer means of getting it on; because they're going to do it anyway. Whether at 13 or 37 they should at least be educated. The full picture, not just the scary bits or the intimidating bits is the way to go. Hell, I sometimes think if they'd taught me about the hitachi in sex ed I'd still be a virgin.

 

[NataliaGrey]

I agree with Rose. I got my period in 4th grade, and my school taught about them in 5th. I kind of knew what a period was when I was in 4th grade, but it didn't register that it was happening to me. I honestly thought I was dying. Luckily my mom saw some blood spots on the bathroom floor and came to figure out what was going on, then helped me through it. She didn't give me much information, though, and had to figure out most things myself. I also had no way of buying deodorant or tampons and was too nervous to ask, so I stole them from my mom or from friends' moms. I think very basic sex ed that teaches about your body should be taught every year starting in kindergarten, and get more in depth as time goes on. It will also give kids a chance to ask questions every year. The first time anyone asked me if I had any questions about my body was in my 5th grade seminar, which is way too long.

 

[rexcode]

Fast forward to I think...10th grade? Yeah. And we were all put through that "you kissed everyone they kissed" experiment and then shown an hour's worth of diseased genitals. And not just like slightly diseased that you might see in real life but "Holy crap, we have to photograph that and put it in a video to scare children" type of venereal disease. There was one image of genital warts that I will always refer to as "the cauliflower cock" for the rest of my life. Everyone that I was in the 10th grade with immediately knows what I'm talking about. It was just that terrifying.

Luckily, kids today have already seen the Blue Waffle and Special Fried Rice long before 10th grade. :lol:

 

[Jessi]

I wish they'd talk to teenage boys about cunnilingus and respecting their partner.
Not necessarily showing an instructional video or something :lol: but when I was in highschool boys were all like FUCK YEAH BLOWJOBS and no one seemed to know/talk about female pleasure at all. It was *expected* that boys would receive oral sex, and for girls it was the exception and even seen as gross. Such a one way street, no fair :snooty:

 

[reubensandwich]

I got kicked out of sex ed class in every grade they had it. I thought it was hilarious and could not stop myself from making jokes, the teachers were all really awkward and embarrassed to be teaching it and I was like a shark that smelled blood.

I went to catholic schools and in my opinion, it is not something that should be taught by superprude loon loon cultists. Ever.

I think the best way to do it is to just give your kids unmonitored internet access. They will do it on their own, much easier and less awkward that way for everyone involved.

 

[BlueViolet]

I have to agree with the earlier the better.

We were taught basic sex ed in 7th grade, nothing about contraception just names of organs and how pregnancy occurred. I went to a large middle school and it was alarming how many girls had to drop out in 7th grade to raise a baby.

My mom started teaching me the basics when I was in kindergarten. Like babies came from that place down there, stuff like that. Nothing graphic. As I got older, she started teaching me more and more casually--not one big talk. She told me about birth control and contraception and how to be safe. She told me things before kids could give me false information, like the rumor that sticking a yellow skittle in your vagina prevented pregnancy.

She offered to buy me birth control when I was 15 in case I was having sex and wanted me to tell her when I became sexually active so I could be prepared. I didn't end up having sex with a man until I was 18 and I am very thankful for my mom's education.

If all schools taught it like my mom, there'd be much less unwanted pregnancies, and it is NOT the girl's fault for not being educated. Kids are going to have sex if they set their mind to it. My cousin had her second baby when she was 13.