Sex education

[joeluke]

My 7 year old son has brought home a letter stating that his (Primary) school intend to show 7 - 11 year olds in the school sex education DVD's (There are 3 DVD's - one for year 3 and 4 pupils, one for year 5, and one for year 6).

Parents have been invited to preview the DVD's (my girlfriend will be doing so but I can't as they are being shown in the early afternoon and I will be at work)........however I've told her that regardless of what is on the DVD our son will not be watching it

I'm just totally speechless that our schools want to teach sex education to such young children. In my opinion when children reach High School (11 years old) is more than early enough for them to be taught about the birds and the bees.

My son is still an innocent, naive child and doesn't need to know about such things at such a young age..... he still actually believes in Father Christmas and the Tooth Fairy, and they want to teach him about sexual matters!!!

[karenmac60]

I remember being told by a girl at school that when I was older I would have pee reeds - this meant I had to wee in a test tube and if there was blood in it I was pregnant! The playground is not a source of accurate information.

[annie0000]

A girl I went to school with thought the boy passed you a seed from his mouth when you were kissing and thats how you got pregnant - she was a bit vaugue about where the seed came from!

[annie0000]

- that was in High School lol

[ummmm]

I've just asked my 12 year old son what age he was when he knew about sex. He said about 7. So 7 seems to be the age they start to find things out. They may as well be told the truth.

[cazzz1975]

at that age I was too busy playing out and being a pain in the bum to want to know about sex, bizarre isnt it.

[ummmm]

Owen learnt younger because he has older siblings and cousins and they told him. I remember him finding it really disgusting...and he still does..!

[Hopkirk]

It baffles me how Joe can condemn these DVDs without seeing them.

Children at that age ask all sorts of questions, such as where do puppies and kittens come from.

Sex education isn't all about what bit of your body goes where.

[ummmm]

Joe should send his son to a Catholic school. The closest thing they get to sex education is Biology...

[Hopkirk]

Only a good idea if Joe wants lots and lots of grandchildren, Ummmm.

[ummmm]

He can't have lot's and lot's....the odds of having a gay one would increase...

[rowanwitch]

One of the things likely to be included is about appropriate and inappropriate touching...ie what makes you uncomfortable and who you should tell if it happens. There may also be a little bit about not touching others in ways they feel are 'not nice' this covers the issue of girls reaching puberty on average a bit earlier than boys so they may well start to have issues before they leave junior school while the boys may get in trouble by playing touching games in all innocence.
Also with more 'alternative families' it is likely your son may well have encountered children with two mummies or two daddies already all he needs to know is sometimes two people have a family and it is different to the mummy daddy pattern.but that it doesn't happen very often... please don't impose your own feelings on your little one just in case he goes on to have those feelings himself....although I hope you would love him anyway even if you had to rethink your position a little

[wendilla]

My Grandson who is 7 said to his mum . Mummy whats sex? She said well that is what you are either male or female. Good answer do you think for that age but I think they know more than they let on . Just waiting for him to ask me now.

[ummmm]

I don't think it's a good answer. I think you should tell them the truth. When I was about 9 I remember asking my Mum what a *** was...she told me. I remember the horror...lol

[sara3]

joeluke wants his son to grow up with his view that all homosexuals should be treated like they're abnormal.

unfortunately, this will mean his son grows up with such out-dated views that he will probably have very few friends.

[Hopkirk]

When my daughter was that age she innocently said to me one day 'Dad, what's a penis?'

I know lots of people say it should be up to the parents to teach these things, but it is very hard.

I would far prefer a properly trained professional approach this in a considered way, than all of us parents blunder along trying to think as we talk.

[ummmm]

We can hope that Joe Lukes son has a mind of his own.

[wendilla]

Umm I think my daughter will tell him the next time he asks she was just taken off guard with his question.

[sara3]

well then he will frown upon his dad in later life. it's a shame, either way.

[ummmm]

I suppose it's easy for me to say as I haven't really had to answer that much. I've only really had to confirm, true or false...

[woofgang]

joe, pragmatically, can I point out two things which you may not want to hear but which are true. If you take your son out of this he is going to be, I expect, one of only a few children, maybe even the only one. This is is likely to single him out in the class which can be hard for a 7 year old, especially if its hard for him to understand why, The second point is that all the other kids will have seen the vid and will be discussing it....even if you take him out of the viewing, he is going to get the information only probably horribly garbled as kids do.
Do you want either of those things?