Family Sexuality Education Month

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Nurse Diane

I recently took a poll of some of my friends to see what their thought were on have "the talk" with their children.  The ones that I ask had never had the talk or even had the talk with their parents.

I had a job with a mobile nursing unit when I was in nursing school.  It was a large motor home that traveled around to area schools to teach and perform simple health exams such as checking blood pressure and blood sugar and cholesterol.  My job was to hold sex education classes and I also provided condoms to those who completed the class.  Because of this training, I had no fear about having the talk with my son.  I took him to the local dairy queen, got some banana splits, and started in on my discussion.  Halfway through, I noticed someone standing behind me, as I looked around, I saw a Nun standing there, listening to my speech.  I was horrified, but I was able to give some valuable information to my son, and correct some misinformation that he had received from classmates.

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Most of the ones I interviewed said they would prefer this information be taught in school; however, there are some parents that argue that it should be taught in the home.  This is a real disservice to those who don’t get "the talk" at home. I think the best solution is to find out when this subject will be taught in the classroom, and hold your discussion at home beforehand.  The information you teach, along with the classroom information will only help to improve knowledge, and should any questions arise, then you can be there to answer them to the best of your ability.  The tragedy comes when neither school nor family teaches the child, and the information they get comes from classmates and friends.  This reminds me of a joke:

On the way back home from school, my grandson asked my son THE question. "Dad, where do babies come from?" he said. "I know they come from mommies' tummies, but how they get in there in the first place?" I tried to stifle a laugh as my son stuttered and tried to find an explanation suitable for my grandchild. Finally my grandson shouted in disgust, "it’s okay, Dad! You don't have to make up the answer if you don't know! "Ha ha ha:)

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This month is family sexuality education month.  If you have young ones in your family, take some time to talk with them, find out what they know, and how much is correct, and make sure to answer any questions they have. This way, you know the information they receive is correct, and their knowledge can prevent any sexually transmitted diseases or unwanted pregnancies.