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Mandatory Sex Education
How young is too young? England is making sex ed mandatory in schools—including kindergartens. They're hoping this will help curb the teen pregnancy rate there, which is one of the highest in Europe. In fact, the country is bringing sex education to all schools in the country—including kindergartens. We're thinking that if they'd never let the Spice Girls happen, this might not be such an issue.
We kid, sort of. Kids are exposed to a great deal these days. The government hasn’t detailed what the new curriculum will look like, but schools will be asked to provide lessons on relationships and contraception, with elementary school children being taught about body parts, preparing for puberty and relationship feelings. Lessons will become more sophisticated as kids get older.
The United States lacks a national curriculum, with the decision to offer sex education left up to individual states and districts (and as we've seen, that doesn't always work so well). Do you feel that kindergarten is too young to think about the birds and the bees? And do you think this country should have a national curriculum? What's a parent's responsibility in educating kids about sex? Share your thoughts below.
Kindergarten does seem young! But then again, I went to Catholic school through 8th grade and there was NO sex. ed at all except the abstinence talks...and then a lot of my HS friends got pregnant...gee, how surprising!
But yeah, I think parents have to share the responsibility too, just as they should reinforce homework, morals, lessons etc.
Considering what my six year old has brought home and said that was learned in school. I think it may be a good Idea this day and age. She came home the other day saying the word SEXY. So I had to explain some things for her to understand that particular word was not to be just spoken. That she had to understand the meaning and there are times that it is very inapropriate.
As long as the content is geared toward 5-year-olds and isn't threatening or scary, I think it's fine to teach kids about sex in school. However, there is no way the United States would ever do this. I can just see the uproar and outrage now...The more correct and factual education we give on sex, the better. Parents and schools should be a team when it comes to educating kids on sex. It shouldn't be one vs. the other. I really wish the U.S. would be more open about sex education in schools at all grade levels.
PRE-SCHOOLERS WON'T FREAK OUT UNLESS YOU DO. SO IT HAS TO BEGIN WITH WELL INFORMED PARENTS. IF YOU'RE NERVOUS WHILE TALKING ABOUT BODY PARTS AND FUNCTIONS, THEY'LL KNOW IT'S MAKING YOU UNCOMFORTABLE, WHICH IN THE LONG RUN WILL MAKE THEM UNCOMFORTABLE WHEN THEY =REALLY= NEED THIS INFORMATION, AND THEY WON'T COME TO YOU, THEY ALREADY KNOW YOU CANNOT TALK ABOUT IT. I AGREE THAT THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD NOT BE SO UPTIGHT ABOUT THE ISSUE. I RECENTLY SAW A LADY ON TV, PAM STINZEL IS HER NAME, I THINK, AND SHE'S AN AWESOME SPEAKER. OF COURSE THIS WAS A LECTURE AT A CATHOLIC SCHOOL, SO SHE WAS PROBABLY PAID TO DO THIS LECTURE. ANYWAY, IF THESE LECTURES AND PROGRAMS WERE AVAILABLE THROUGH PUBLIC SCHOOLS, THE GOVERNMENT WOULD SEE RESULTS ALMOST RIGHT AWAY. ALL WE NEED IS INFORMATION, AND PARENTS SHOULD NOT ASUME THAT KIDS KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING. TELLING THEM NOT TO HAVE SEX IS NOT ENOUGH, THEY NEED TO KNOW WHY, THEY NEED TO KNOW WHAT COULD HAPPEN TO THEM, AND HOW IT WILL AFFECT THEIR LIVES IN A WAY THEY CAN REALLY UNDERSTAND. WE NEED TO TALK SEX THE SAME WAY WE TALK ABOUT GERMS AND WASHING HANDS, AND SNEEZING AND COUGHING.
The U.S. is too uptight about sex to ever allow this to happen. I think that if there was some national, age-appropriate version of reproduction taught in schools, there's nothing wrong with that. If they start whipping out the BIG words at age 5, that might freak them out.