WARNING EXPLICIT COMMENT
Sometimes being a parent is hard.
Today we received a letter from Ashley’s school asking us about the upcoming Sex Ed course.
We are used to these and usually rubber stamp them.
Over the years I’ve grown to understand that kids all absorb information at their own speed.
It’s so much easier to answer questions honestly as they occur than to store them up for The Big Talk.
Mum gave me the Big Talk.
It was horrible.
Visions of tadpoles and chambers and sloughs of skin and blood oozing out filled my poor little 11 year old brain, much of it fading as I walked out of the room an hour later.
My early Sex Ed was mostly garnered from conversation, Bike shed stories and a little experience.
The mechanics weren’t that hard to figure out and once a girl actually let me get close enough it all seemed to make sense.
However, the morality, the emotion and the humanity of the process is something I would really have liked a little more guidance with.
For a few years I was guilt ridden about masturbation until light dawned that everyone did it and it wasn’t evil and I wouldn’t go blind.
When it comes to our kids, both Gill and I were determined that the subject would not be taboo and that slowly we would answer questions as and when they were asked.
The teen years have been mostly Gill’s province as menstruation has appeared and the supply of sanitary towels has slowly filled the bathroom shelves.
So, generally I’m happy we’ve got it covered (more than some of our friends anyway).
However, Ashley is a whole new ball game.
He’s largely non verbal and completely innocent. Part of his regular check up is a gonad inspection which he doesn’t even acknowledge.
So “preparing them for puberty”, “talking about ralationships”, “protecting themselves and asking for help” don’t really apply to the little man.
He can name private parts of his body and seems fascinated with one of them in particular. (his right nipple …. what were you thinking?)
So after some discussion, we’ve decided to remove him from the lessons.
Jo (15) offered that simply being in the lessons, he might understand some of it – we don’t know how much he actually absorbs.
Heather (17) is against. She says he’s like a two year old. What’s the point?
I’d welcome your thoughts.
