I can’t even say the words. I can’t begin to type or tell you the discomfort I have talking to my daughter about puberty.
Why? Uh, because I’m human. If there’s one thing you should know about me, it’s that I’m fallible. I’ve talked to her. I’ve given her the facts of life, intercourse, menstruation, puberty, hair, smells… I literally cannot write in complete sentences. Every conversation is punctuated with blushing, and I refer her to Granny. “Please, ask your Granny.”
Today the email came. You know the one. It’s from the Science Teacher and it outlines the Fourth Grade Sex Ed Cirriculum. I showed it to my husband, and he just laughed, “talk to your daughter.”
By Jennifer Lance •
November 26, 2008
Britain has the highest teen pregnancy rate in Europe, thus the government is bringing sex education into the classroom, including kindergarten.
Many countries require sex education in schools, but England requires it for five-year-olds. “It’s vital that this information doesn’t come from playground rumor or the mixed messages from the media about sex,” explained Schools Minister Jim Knight.
How do you teach sex education to a five-year-old? Details on the curriculum have not been released, but Knight has stated the focus will be on self-awareness for younger children. Lessons will start with naming body parts and progress to preparing for puberty and relationship feelings as children age.
We are not talking about 5-year-old kids being taught sex. What we’re talking about for key stage 1 (ages 5-7) is children knowing about themselves, their differences, their friendships and how to manage their feelings.
By Gavin Hudson •
September 27, 2008
Birth control has become an important issue for woman’s rights as well as the environment. However, a survey of South Korean women age 19-34 found 45% believe contraception should be a man’s responsibility.
The survey, by the Study Group for Contraception, shows that most women are doing little or nothing to avoid unwanted pregnancies. Of the 1000 women who participated in the survey, one in five said she relied on coitus interruptus or timing pregnancy cycles as a form of birth control. Both methods have high failure rates of around 25%.
What’s more, abortion is illegal in South Korea, except under extenuating circumstances. The result is an almost entirely first-world country where each year hundreds of thousands of women practice illegal abortions at “don’t ask don’t tell” clinics.
