___ITV "THIS MORNING"_____FRIDAY____HOW MUCH SEX EDUCATION SHOULD CHILDREN HAVE IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS?????

[RTKangaMummy]

Tomorrow, {FRIDAY} Davina McCall is in talking about her controversial campaign to reform sex education in schools. Will telling our children the full monty make them want sex more, or less? Should sex education start at primary school? Davina says yes, what do you think? Call us now on 0870 333 05 50 or email us at [email protected]

.

I saw that study Blu and was horrifyed. This is why it is so important for parents to be the ones to teach their children. I don't mind sex education being taught from say 11yrs onwards but it shouldn't be done any earlier. Parents need to do it before hand so that the emotional aspects can be properly explained to them. I also think that they should be taught how to protect themselves from pregnancy and disease but that there should be an emphasis on abstinance as this is what works best.

Can someone tape it for me, I might learn something.

i'm out tommorrow morning too, someone let me know what the 'expert' davina says

I still reckon I'd be the best one to tell my kids about sex than some bloody teacher in front of all their mates.

Sex education is not going to make children have sex earlier. It's not about teaching children HOW to have sex. It's just as much teaching them how to say no to sex. Obviously not having sex education from an early age has not exactly done wonders for the British teenage pregnancy rate either.....

PPB - I would be amazed if children hadn't already been well and truly educated about sex at school by 11 - the problem is that it will be in the playground, in whispers and in terms of high sensationalism..
What we would like to be able to do in an ideal hermetically sealed world of innocene is not what happens..not anywhere in the world, and not in any former age.

Some parents could do it brilliantly themselves I am sure. Some parents would rather not. And my guess is most children would actually prefer to listen to their teacher talking about masturbation than their mum. I know I would!

Rhubarb, I bet you are the best person to talk to your dc about sex. But that's because you are lovely (I imagine) and sensible etc. If it was left totally to parents, then it would be the vulnerable, disadvantaged kids with the f**ked up parents who would suffer - as usual.

Paulapb, in a similar vein we can't assume that all parents are well equipped to talk to thir kids about the emotional aspects of sex.

so the state has an important role imo, and parents' involvement is v important of course as homemama said.

Yes but telling them HOW to do it, is that not giving them the go ahead to do it?

How about hauling a harrassed mother in with a newborn and telling them all that if they indulge in the evil act they will end up like that poor woman!

That's what I have planned for mine.

So yes doggie, thank you for your sentiment!

Just had an awful thought - is Denise Robertson doing the demonstration?

I will probably speak to my DD before she is 11 of course.I wouldn't want her to hear about it from anyone else but me and I think as a mother with a daughter it will probably be easier because it will naturally come up when explaining menstration. I understand that there are some parents who won't discuss it with their children but I think primary school aged children are a bit to young for sex education.

I think we bring them kicking and screaming into our adult world far too soon.

Well, I think by the time you discuss it with your daughter the chances are she has heard it all anyway.

I remember in juniors this story going round that a baby was born who was already preggers!

The stuff we told each other!

Maybe but I wonder how many parents don't speak to their children because they assume that they will have heard it all anyway.

Blu - thanks for the info about that survey, truly horrifying. Will keep a beady eye on internet access as my sons get older. I still think that whatever schools are trying to do, with the best will in the world unless there is some real cooperation between government and the media about shielding our young ones until they are mature enough to cope with mature sexuality ...we are lost. Offa's dyke springs to mind. Really committed teachers, trying to put sex in context and teenagers with their heads full of pornography. Makes me weep.

Makes me weep too.

But in a country long famed for prostitution and porn, I wonder how it is that the Dutch have aamongst the lowest statistics for underage pg, termination, etc? And they are so open about sex with children from a young age?

ARGHHHHH.

just thudding my head against wall here.

OF COURSE THERE SHOULD BE FULL SEX EDUCATION IN ALL PRIMARY SCHOOLS.

doh.

totally and utterly agree with DC (not the first time actually) and Blu on this.

makes me want to scream.

sex education neither corrupts nor increases risk. it does the opposite.

Or is it simply that family life is stronger?

In the Netherlands I mean

Sophable -
WHY IN PRIMARY SCHOOL???? Why do they need to know everything by the time they're 11?????

because by the first year of secondary school there are sexually active children.

because puberty hits between 10 and 14 and you want knowledge and therefore choice and safety to have a chance before it does.

because at the moment we go later than this in this country and IT IS NOT WORKING.

But it is ABNORMAL that children are sexually active at 11 and we should NOT be saying 'well, it happens, so we'd better just give them info. and let them get on with it'. I absolutely agree that the vulnerable children must be identified at primary school. They will be the kids who arrive late or not at all, whose parents don't give a damn - they will not be hard to spot and ABSOLUTELY extra resources must be poured in to their well-being. But, I repeat, it is NOT normal for 11 year olds to be sexually active and we should not allow any general acceptance that it is Otherwise 'hello paedophiles and pornographers - here are our children, take your pick!

Steinermum -- they should know for all the reasons I put in my earlier post. Not because they are sexually active themselves, but sex is part of the story of how they got here, part of the story of human relationships and part of some of the feelings they may be having themselves.

Informing them of the basic facts of reproduction in language appropriate to their developmental age is hardly tantamount to equipping them with a 6-pack of condoms and a DVD of Debbie Does Dallas, is it?

i think this is a very difficult one.
at 11, i had absolutely no interest in boys or sex or being sexy or anything along those lines, but then when i was 11 there were not thongs available to buy in my size, neither was playboy a fashionable label to have etc etc.
even at secondary school when we had sex education, it was more funny than anyhting or so we thought. but that may have been something to do with the grumpiest english teacher in the whole school rolling a condom onto a cucumber.
we were told at junior school when all the girls had to go and see the nurse for our period talk and to collect our free samples that once our periods began we could get prehnant but we didnt know how.
i think children are more forward now in that department but i still am not sure at what age i think they should be educated??