Sex ed for kids - how young is too young?

i had sex ed at 9 years of age but knew what it was before cause i accidently watched a porno when i was 7 not knowing what it was

no it didnt damage me *head rotates and masturbates with crucifix*

Magnetta101 wrote:

no it didnt damage me *head rotates and masturbates with crucifix*

LOL LOL LOL

Piaqua wrote:

MissMillion wrote:

Can I ask, do you think seeing porn so young had a damaging effect?  I'd be really concerned if my kid saw something so void of love or respect as their first example!

I actually think, with the exception of the fetish-type porn, it's just sex, which is a totally natural act, and seeing that in itself shouldn't really be all that damaging. The fact that sex has been made so taboo is only a very recent thing, and imo has been detrimental in many ways.

well its sex as some men would want it. there isnt much that doesnt objectify women as the thing youre looking at and zoom in at odd angles, make her moan for him etc etc. pushing different buttons to make different things happen.

course its way easier to find things where they are having their face mayonnaised or whacked with a member, choking on it or pleading against it, seeing how much can be shoved up there... thats the internet. the only light porn is usual faux lesbionism that makes it seem like even sex without men is for men. would just be fantasy were it not so normalised. that isnt sex. the damaging thing is that we think it is.

i saw stuff like that from an early age and it didnt have much affect on me as a person, but i thought girls like that were certain bad words i cant say, and that the deserved anything they got for behaving that way, and that more tarty girls were also those thing just trying to get laid. in a way i hated women and saw them as purely for sex if thy didnt choose to break gender norms, even though im straight. i hated any sort of "womens stuff" or women that chose to be housewives or mothers. im glad im more enlightened now. i was a huge anti-feminist towards myself and thats very sad. i think its encouraged to be like that if you want to get forward or not seen that way yourself. even then its hard not to be seen as a skanky feminist battleaxe come sex object depending on peoples tastes.

i think body comfort and knowing what happens naturally (yeah i think id have described first off as baby-making, and of love, and later for purely pleasure) shouldnt be something to be shameful of. doesnt mean i wish my parents left the door open though xD

John McCain has aired commercials saying that Barack Obama supports sex education for kindergarteners...but in reality he supported "age-appropriate" safety teachings, which for kindergarteners meant learning about good touches and bad touches to protect them from molesters...not trying to hijack this thread, but politics has gotten extra extra dirty lately...

this is actually part of what I do in real life professionally...I mean I dont break into homes and randomly tell small children "men have penis' women have vaginas..."
I started with my daughter when she was three and wanted to know why boys stood up to pee...it lead into why boyspoint out and girls point in.  I call the body part by their true names, although my daughter has invented her own name for them.  She is six now and the information becomes a little more detailed and age specific as she grows older.

my husband almost fainted when he heared me say vagina to a thee year old...I think he actually covered his ears and said  "lalalalalalalalala" when I said penis

My parents were very open and honest about the subject. If I asked, they gave a scientific answer. No cutesy names for body parts or sexual acts. Kids these days are getting exposed to more and more mature things, we should give them all the information correctly and in a safe way, before someone else does incorrectly.

I also should say that I'm very amused at people who think penis and vagina are dirty words. They are body parts, just like hands and feet and livers.

Kronia wrote:

John McCain has aired commercials saying that Barack Obama supports sex education for kindergarteners...but in reality he supported "age-appropriate" safety teachings, which for kindergarteners meant learning about good touches and bad touches to protect them from molesters...not trying to hijack this thread, but politics has gotten extra extra dirty lately...

Getting to the thread-relevant point...
I attended 2 schools growing up.

My elementary school taught age-appropriate sex-ed.  When I was in 1st grade (maybe 6 or 7) there was an officer who came in and taught about a lot of different situations, but they used little puppets so as not to scare young children.  It was actually really informative, and it taught children to tell if they are being touched in inappropriate ways.

When was in 4th grade, there was something similar, except the officer didn't use puppets.

When I moved it was to an abstinence-only school, and the material was intended to scare us with the 'horrors of STDs and abortions'.  That's my paraphrase, not theirs.  We were given seminars in 8th grade, as well as in the required health class for high school.  It was informative, but the educators used outdated information about medications.  They didn't cover contraception at all, and the majority of the school was already sexually active in one way or another.

On a side note, I pledged my virginity when I was 15, but that didn't really pan out.  If teens are okay with the idea of sex before marriage, there's not a lot that will stop them.

Edited to add : I have 2 boys now, and I am not afraid of the words 'penis', 'vagina', or 'breast'.  I like to teach my children anatomically correct words, instead of the silly words our society has given them.

Last edited by Callysthene (09-26-2008 04:26)

Miss186 wrote:

My mother never really gave me "the talk", but I'm sure she would have if I had asked. I was given a fairly comprehensive sexual education- the stuff about periods and general "tab A goes in slot B" stuff in elementary school, and a fairly in-depth look at contraceptives, human reproduction, STDs, those mechanical baby things (I got a 98%! ), and general health issues (eating disorders, bullying, all kinds of "teenage issues") at fourteen, in ninth grade, despite the fact that I went to school in Florida, which is generally a state that relies on abstinence-only education.

I didn't become sexually active until I was sixteen, with a guy I had been dating for seven months. We were both virgins, and used condoms all the time, even when I went on birth control. Since then I've had several sexual relationships, and once again, I always used condoms and hormonal BC. I really think the education I was given was fantastic and taught me well.

I don't think there's any such thing as too young for sexual education, given it is age-appropriate. For example, a kindergartner could be given a general "this is a private place, and if anybody touches it in a way that makes you uncomfortable, you should tell an adult" talk, without going too in-depth for their age. I honestly believe that education is the best way to help kids. If a teenager wants to have sex, they're going to do it whether or not they know about condoms, but if they have access to condoms and know what their uses are, they're a lot more likely to be safe.

I totally agree with your post. Then again how could I not agree with the poster who has the best av ever.

I think sexual education should start very early on- beginning with toddlers learning about their own bodies, and the bodies functions (most will agree on toileting etc, but including breast feeding and generally just learning to be comfortable with their bodies).
Animal behaviour teaches children the basics. Other than that, I think it comes down to the particular child, and the parent being aware and open enough to know when their child needs to know more, such as safe sex
I never had 'the talk' with my parents, but it was never taboo either, I think I just learned small pieces of information over the years. I have always been unknowingly aware.