“The Talk” — Would you rather hear it from school or your folks?

Definitely from school

10] Did you ever get the “where babies come from” talk with your parents? As a child, did you have your own theory about this?

Thank you for the prompt!

If you don’t mind, I’m going to use this as an oppourtunity to discuss why we really need sex education in schools.

No, I didn’t have this talk with my parents. I asked my dad one day as to why we didn’t, and he said something along the lines of this: That’s weird to talk about with your kids, it’s awkward, that’s what the schools are for.

I agree.

Thanks dad for not trying to tell me about how the man inserts his penis into the vagina. I agree. You were not the person to tell me. I cringe just to think about that conversation with my parents. Eww.

I am so happy that I learned about all of that from school.

Well, first from teenage peers, then school cleared everything up that they missed or exaggerated. For example, not everyone is having sex, even if it seems that way. I learned that in health class. It worked. I never felt pressured into doing stuff below the equator that I didn’t feel like doing.

STDs I learned about from school. Contraception I learned about from school. Abortion I learned about from school.

I also learned that abortion shouldn’t be used as a first method of birth control from school.

In health class, they taught a bunch of reasons to not feel pressured into having sex before you’re ready. They taught you how to value yourself as a person, and not get caught up in beauty magazines and unsafe sex.

Health class was good. Sure, there were a lot of jokes, of course. But overall, it was a really important place for young people to learn and talk about sex.

What’s my point here?

Don’t get rid of sex education. It sounds like it has changed a bit since my younger days. They’re teaching more about gay and transgender people? That’s great! Kids should be learning about sex and gender identity as soon as appropriate, and learn to be respectful of one another.

No, it doesn’t sexualize them. A lot of things in our culture sexualize kids, but sex ed isn’t one of them. In fact, kids who learn sexual eduation in school are less likely to have sex early in life.

They also learn good things about consent, healthy body image, and to feel good about yourself as a person.

Young people need to learn this stuff.

And from the right people.

Like it or not, that’s not always going to be the parents.

EDIT: I missed part of the prompt, and fair warning, we’re going to get a little personal here. Before sex ed, I thought God put the baby in the woman with magic. I’m not even kidding. I thought it happened while she was walking down the aisle or something.

When I heard the mom and dad had to “sleep together” I thought it meant side by side. I had no concept of one thing going into another thing at all.

Please people, don’t get rid of sex ed. At least watch Unorthodox on Netflix before you decide. Wait for the scene where the woman teaches the young engaged woman about the mechanics of sex, and how she should have sex with her husband every Friday. Then watch their first time.

Enjoy.

~ Just Sam ~