When Is The Right Time For Sex Education?

[ToraToraTora]

A pal of mine has just told me his son has been given sex education at the age of 9. Now he's using what he's learnt to ask embarrasing questions to all and sundry and is in all sorts of trouble in school and with relatives generally and cannot understand why. I remember sex education at the age of approx 13-14. Surely 9 is far too young to get a proper grasp of this difficult subject so why are primary school childreen being burdened so young?

[MadMen]

I would be fuming if my son's school started teaching sex education!
I think we had it at around 13/14 too. Why does a child of 9 need to know about this?

I think at that age, like you say, the child is not mature enough to understand when it is or isn't appropriate to start discussing it!

[ichkeria]

Rather a misleading question, if you don't mind me saying so.
I was about to reply "about 3pm, just before a nice cup of tea" :-)
I was about about 9 when I grasped the subject (so to speak) and that was a very long time ago!

[Zacs-Master]

I think I was about 9 or 10 when we were made to watch Merry-Go-Round.

[albaqwerty]

I wouldn't be happy either about it either.

Just to play devil's advocate for a moment though, isn't puberty earlier these days?

Don't have a link for that info though, sorry.

[ummmm]

I don't think it's a bad thing.

Children tend to absorb information without the gross factor.

My mother answered every question I asked her and I didn't turn out promiscuous. What's the worse that will happen? Kids will grow up knowing about safe sex?

[MadMen]

What on earth is merry go round? It sounds fun!

Ah god, those films were so embarrassing.

[ichkeria]

Sorry, I didn't see the word "Education" on the end :-). Distracted by the preceding word (!)

[albaqwerty]

Come to think of it, when my sons were 13-14, they knew about safe sex, respect and relationships.
It wasn't left to the school to do that.

[Octavius]

If he's using what he learnt to ask questions, he sounds very sensible to me. Not sure why the school teaching him would reprimand him, unlkess what he is asking has been learnt extra curricular.

[MadMen]

I just think if the parents want the child knowing about it from an early age, then let them do the explaining themselves.

[jake-the-peg]

It varies as kids become sexually aware at seperate stages

Unfortunately SE at schools means you have to make a best decision.

Erring to late tends to have more serious consequences than embaressing questions!

It rather depends on what is involved in the lessons exactly

At 9 kids will certainly be asking 'where babies come from' and that level is probably great at that age

I wouldn't expect an indepth conversation about STDs and contraception at 9 though

I don't suppose your pal went into detail about what the lesson covered?

[ichkeria]

"
MadMen
What on earth is merry go round? It sounds fun!
"

It was a Schools Programme from the 1960's/70's/80's. It seemed to cover just about anything in its day. And they did quite an explicit sex education series come to think of it.

[ToraToraTora]

well all he said was that he's now going around confirming what sort of "equipment" people have. Which is not the sort of thing a young lad should be enquiring of his grand mother! From what I can tell they had largely been covering the anatomy of the 2 sexes.

[thumper93]

this could interest you
netherlands and they have the lowest teenage pregnancies in europe
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/25/sex-education-dutch-children

[LazyGun]

Depends on what is meant by the term "sex education". It depends on how such a lesson is handled.

I had thought that parents were informed by letter or similar in advance of such lessons, and had to give their consent.

And I think it is a bit precious to feel embarassed by questions from a 9 year old.

Given the rate on unwanted pregnancies, and the age at which kids start their first sexual experiences, it does not seem unreasonable to me that they are armed as soon as practicable with the salient facts of life....

[MadMen]

Ah, I see.

Not really sure what I was expecting the answer to be! lol

I think Jake-the-peg makes a good point. What exactly was covered in the lesson? I have no issues with 'where babies come from', but I don't feel the need for a primary school child to know about sexually transmitted diseases just yet. Leave that for secondary school.

[Uriah Heep]

The problem here is the balance between giving kids information and letting them having a childhood. Rember once you put them in an adult world its all over. Let children be children. Does it do them any harm waiting until say 12.

[ummmm]

Tora...he could get the same information from a number of books that people have in their homes!

[LazyGun]

I thought Merry-Go-Round was all about Dougal, and Florence, and Zebedee, and Brian? :)

[ummmm]

It's age related education!