Promotion of homosexuality in schools

[tectime]

Hi

I have children in junior school, and one is due to undertake a sex education class (too young in my opinion), but I am concerned if the subject of homosexualty is broached. Is this broached in senior schools, or does it happen in junior schools too.

So you you teach them the practicalities detached from the emotional side? Really? Why?

Clothesofsand- my point is that at 10 years old or younger, they shouldn't be talking about any "relationship" issues, not just homosexual. Why should they be talking about a hetersexual's relationship? What level of maturity do you think a 10 year old has? A 12 year old will certainly be interested in a discussion of this type and, more importantly, it will be relevant. To discuss "relationships" other than friendships is really just "projecting" an adult's mindset on a child.

Seeker -because they are not yet emotionally mature at 10.

Agree with ClothesOfSand - why is discussing homosexuality, like hetrosexuality etc, 'sexualising' children? Ridiculous.

Mummie - what should I have said to then 4-yr-old DD when she asked me why my friend (male) had a husband, when "he's a boy, mummy?"

"Sorry, kiddo, we'll cover relationships when you're at senior school." ?

Young children ARE interested in the world and in relationships. Not the sexual aspect. Don't most small children wonder about things like weddings and so on and about their parents? Mine do.

I told DD "grown-ups like to have best friends that they love; some girls like to have a boy they might get married to or be with; some girls want to be with a girl, some boys love another boy and they can get married too (it's just called something different). It's all fine and anyone who thinks it isn't is wrong."

DD said "oh, ok". Gay friends who overheard laughed their socks off.

They have relationships, if not romantic ones. They watch and indeed live through the fallout of other people's relationships all the time. Any 10 yo would be well versed in relationships, for good or ill, mostly I suspect both. Given that, I think a bit of talking things through is a good plan really.

Mummie- how old are your children?

Honestly Mummie, not being provocative. But haven't your children ever been to a wedding and asked what it's about?

DS came out when he was 14, but he said he'd always known he was gay (as we did). Now imagine it's not talked about in primary school, and all the books and videos they watch have a "mum" and a "dad". How do you think children feel when they think that they are so abnormal?

Thankfully, in Scotland, there's a great sex/relationship programme starting from P1 (5 year olds) and same-sex relationships are discussed in an age-appropriate way.

Mummle, you're very naive is you think that under-10s don't think about/talk about relationships. Relationships are more than sexual, you know.

Or seen you and your partner kissing?

PMSL at 'gay version of the Benny Hill show'

Our family have only been invited to 2 weddings-both were civil partnerships. Am I 'teaching my DCs to be gay'?

Mind you, they'll be right bloody confused-both couples are women-and my DCs are all boys!

DS2 is convinced that he's going to grow up and marry me. Do you think they'll cover that in sre?

Why not just let kids be kids? Answer their questions honestly and simply and stop assuming that they want to know the whole ball of wax. Life is simple at ten years old and to begin unsolicited conversations on relationships and heterosexuality and homosexuality with them is just projecting what an adult thinks is important - I say wait until senior school when kids are a bit more mature and can consider info reasonably. Besides-I think it's a parent's job to educate a child on sexual relationships anyway...why does a school think it is best suited to convey these life skills?

But they're often NOT unsolicited, are they? I can't believe children don't ask their parents about relationships in one form or another when they're 10 (or younger).

Not just about sex. Just about the world they see around them.

It's a different question, the one about school v parent doing sex ed, I think.

But then I had both (my mother was a teacher at my school and in the sex ed class. Mortifying!)

Life is NOT that simple at 10 years old. Girls are increasingly beginning puberty at 9 years and under and many have started periods and got breasts by age 10. It's incredibly hard for them if these issues have not been properly discussed at home and even sex education in Year 6 is far too late for many children.

Oldestcat - I have said that, if a child asks, by all means - explain and discuss. It is with set teaching of the topic in a junior school where I feel it should not be overloading children with unsolicited discussions on the ins and outs of heterosexuality and homosexuality. For those that are curious, fine, for those that haven't asked - it is probably just bewildering.

I think life is only simple when you are 10 if you you have answers to your questions. My DS's friend is from a donor insemination pregnancy, single mother. DS knows you need a sperm to fertilise the egg. He just wanted to know where it came from when there is no dad. Once he knew, he was happy. Simple! Had I not explained until his teens, he'd not have stopped wondering.

I can't say I'd be very uncomfortable letting my dd believe that she was expected to grow up and have a relationship with a man and only a man even at the age of 3, as if that was some kind of universal truth.

It's a lie and I couldn't risk the damage it would do if she wanted a different kind of arrangement.

And I don't even know any gay people ATM (at least not any that have spoken to me about it).

Five candles- life at ten ought to be simple and it is every adult's responsibility to make sure that it is! A talk on puberty is very different from a talk on hetero and homosexuality. The former is normally discussed in year 5 and I have no issue with that, as it is age relevant, for obvious reasons.

I have a 9 year old who is beginning puberty. You have a very naive notion of what it's like to be 10 (and I'm assuming no 10 year olds). I'm not sure a talk on puberty is 'very different from a talk on hetero and homosexuality.' How can you possibly deal with the development of breasts, periods, wet dreams and erections outside of the full context of human relationships. What a very odd idea.

'life at ten ought to be simple and it is every adult's responsibility to make sure that it is'

Well, I am very anti children growing up too early and I am very anti the sexualisation of young girls but on the other hand my children are part of the real world and have real bodies. I had to explain what being gay meant when they heard some of the boys who play outside using 'gay' as an insult as in 'that's gay that is'. They wanted to know what it meant so I told them. I also told them that it shouldn't be used as an insult as it's perfectly normal. They were about 6 and 8 when we had this conversation.

mummie I agree with seeker, how old are your DC?

DD is 10 yo and lots of her pals have been int he past "going out" with each other. OK not really, but I think the fact that girl a describes boy b as her boyfriend (even tho all that entails is a Val Day card!) indicates a certain interest in the subject of relationships.

The idea that it is not of interest or relevance to a junior school pupil is beyond me tbh.

Five candles-puberty should be about what is happening to their own bodies. Just because they're goingor beginning puberty, doesn't mean that they are ready, or even thinking about a relationship. At ten, the only relationship a kid should have is friendship.

I'm more intrigued by the "channeling" comment. I've met several women which I'd have gladly channeled but it didn't work