Utah recently passed legistlation that, if signed into law, bans teaching about contraception and homosexuality to public school students. Do you think that sort of law will catch on in other states?
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Utah's Proposed Sex Ed Law
- Thread starter Sunstone
- Start date
When my mother was growing up on a farm back in the 1920s, she learned about sex by the age of six simply from watching the barnyard animals go at it. So did most of her peers, apparently.
My first wife, who was the daughter of two doctors, knew about sex by the age of five. But many people nowadays are so squemish about children. They pretend children cannot handle knowledge of sex at a young age. People's sexual morals are so delicate these days.
At least, that's how I see it.
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I have found that one size fits all is wrong thinking. Kids should learn things when they show an interest I believe.
Gharib
I want Khilafah back
i learned about it when i was 4-5 years old too from watching animals and this wasn't so far back as the 1920s or the 50s.
it is different to watch animals and learn from/through them than to learn about what teachers have to say in school about human sexuality.
to learn such a thing through the lives of animals, gives you that sense of feeling that it's just part of their nature, just like eating, pooping out in the open etc. for example, no parent would have their young child watch porn. well, by watching animals do it, i never considered it as such and it was a natural thing for them, they did it in the barn, out in the field, everywhere. you can't prevent your child from seeing that.
however, it is part of our nature too. but if you tell a child such things, then they are going to get very curious. everyone knows that if you tell a child not to do something he is going to do it. in a study regarding this that i saw on TV, they placed a child in a room with cameras which had toys, they told the child there are toys behind him and that he is not allowed to turn his head and see them nor play with them. eventually all kids gave into it.
now through such education in school, kids will want to try it out, they already are from as young as 11 or 12 due to pornographic images that they see on the internet but with such education they will feel that they can 'play it safe' because they know the dangers.
Of course.
Shadow Wolf
Certified People sTabber & Business Owner
The thing is kids, especially teens, are going to put theory into practice anyways. They are still going to have sex, but when they are taught about using contraception the only thing that changes is that they are more likely to not only use them, but use them on a more regular and consistent basis. As for the age, when I was about 10 or 11 it was impossible to escape other kids talking about sex.
Father Heathen
Veteran Member
It's quite telling that the religious see knowledge and understanding as a threat.
Skwim
Veteran Member
I don't think any of the other states will adopt such idiocy---and it sure looks like it will be adopted. Utah, with its huge Mormon constituency, is, as a whole, an odd duck when it comes to sex.
Circle_One
Well-Known Member
It's far too difficult to keep kids these days from learning nothing about sex. It's inevitable that they'll see it on the internet, on the TV, in movies, and even on things like billboards or in magazines. It's almost impossible for them to NOT see it, so IMHO, it's better that they learn about it PROPERLY, instead of just relying on what outside media tells them.
They're going to try it; the least we can do is ensure they know how to do it SAFELY.
They're going to try it; the least we can do is ensure they know how to do it SAFELY.
Some entrepreneurs will be quick to open a few 'secret' abortion clinics, because there will be lots of unwanted pregnancies. Maybe just over in Nevada, as a sideline to the other business.
Seriously, I taught sex ed once to 14 year olds ... some who had missed earlier years or who had teachers who sloughed it .. crazy misconceptions abounded... pregnancy by kissing, by peeing, and more. If you don't know what you're saying no to, how do you know what you're even saying.
Seriously, I taught sex ed once to 14 year olds ... some who had missed earlier years or who had teachers who sloughed it .. crazy misconceptions abounded... pregnancy by kissing, by peeing, and more. If you don't know what you're saying no to, how do you know what you're even saying.
You paint with a wide brush. Hopefully the people teaching our kids do a better job.
Father Heathen
Veteran Member
What if I said instead that it's quite telling that the religious who support this sort of legislation see knowledge and understanding as a threat?
Shadow Wolf
Certified People sTabber & Business Owner
I'll have to dig out my human sexuality text book, but according to it the best reason for a sex ed class is that only maybe about 25% of parents actually do talk to their kids about sex (I'll have to check for the exact number). And rather than learning what is true about sex and what isn't, they learn what is often false from their peers and the media. And it's not just stuff you roll your eyes about, like "size matters" or that different ethnic groups have different sized penises, but things that quite frightening such as not knowing how you can and cannot get pregnant and how sexually transmitted infections are transmitted.
What is often taught in a decent sex ed course is that a person should wait until they are ready. The emphasis isn't waiting on marriage, but it is waiting for a monogamous relationship and most importantly when you are ready. They also replace myths with facts about pregnancy and STIs. They also often do discuss alternatives to vaginal-penile intercourse that are gratifying but do not risk pregnancy. The classes do get graphic, it is about sex, but you have to ask would you rather your child learn from an adult that may know a good deal about sex him or herself, and may have even had training for discussing the subject, or would you rather your child learn from their friends who think sperm in a swimming pool or on a toilet seat can get a girl pregnant? Ideally this would be left to the parents, but it is a responsibility that only a few parents accept.
Gharib
I want Khilafah back
you would be wrong saying that and wrong having said it.
Closer to fair anyway. :yes:
Songbird
She rules her life like a bird in flight
I have a theory which seems to surprise and offend most people - I think no topic is off-limits to kids, and that "age-appropriate" is a BS term to shield them from various effects of knowledge - like fear, passing on inappropriate information to their friends, etc. But I think not telling kids things - and telling them that they're not allowed to know those things - is breeding grounds for more curiosity about whatever they're being shielded from. It can foster obsession, and they inherit our strange need to hide the information too. In other words, they learn that sex is bad, they seek to find out why, and they hide their seeking from their parents.
I tell my kids pretty openly and matter-of-factly about what's going on in their surroundings, whether they ask about a financial matter, why their dad and I may have argued, etc. Involving them in discussions about things they're afraid of seems to ease their fear and make them feel respected and valued as people who can process information. I think it also encourages a curiosity that will help their intelligence as they grow.
Once again, TMI alert, but one recent example....my 10-year-old son walked in on me in the bathroom when I was menstruating. He said, "So that's what the girls in my class will go through starting about next year, huh?" (I'm not a nudist, but I forget to lock doors.) It's just life.
My point is it's very important to me to teach my kids a sense of level-headedness and desire to learn, and keeping things in the dark impedes that. If they sense that I'll freak out about something, they won't approach me and they'll be freaked out too.
And in my opinion, nothing is sacred. Nothing is too inappropriate to discuss, wonder about, learn about.
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ForeverFaithful
Son Worshiper
I think we just gotta teach kids the facts,
How babies are made and how STIs are transmitted, nothing else
How babies are made and how STIs are transmitted, nothing else
jarofthoughts
Empirical Curmudgeon
I don't know how the US does things in this regard, but that's pretty much how we do things in Norway.
We teach the technicalities about procreation and child birth/development, including what happens during puberty, and we teach them that some people are homosexuals and that that's okay.
When they get a bit older we also teach them about contraceptives and STDs, and all schools have an educated nurse available in the area that chips in as well.
People should be educated, have their questions answered, and be allowed to make their own choices in life.
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