Re: The Perception of Childhood

Good post Kal - and thanks as I couldn't find the words earlier, thats exactly what i meant, some are too young mentally .....

Re: The Perception of Childhood

No child of a young age should be introduced to sex or the meaning of.

I know girls today menstruate far earlier than we did and that's time enough to start worrying about them getting pregnant and becoming sexually active.

We did what were called "Motherhood" classes at school from age 13 and that was back in the 60s, so it was quite innovative at that time, but surely the point is that parents should be aware of their child's advancing maturity, and it shouldn't be up to schools to teach them, or am I missing the point?

Ages 3 and 7 are far too young. For crying out loud! They should still be playing with toys at that age but the truth is parents have allowed their children to become too self-sufficient by giving them mobile phones, not spending enough time with them, and letting them spend hours on the internet, and that's why you end up with kids having unwanted kids in this society that they can't cope with and nor are they able to finance their upbringing, which is a blight on the taxpayers of this country.

Re: The Perception of Childhood

Girls can and are sexually active before their periods start in many cases. What we want is children to wait surely and not have sex too early. Head in sand approach doesn't work and no one who is in favour of sex education wants tiny children exposed to the mechanics of sex too early the things they would be taught are not about full sex. Sex educations covers a huge range of subjects and can be done in an age appropriate way.

We desperately need to teach our girls and boys that waiting is fine and that porn is not normal and that violence in relationships and sex is not right.

At the moment they get most of their information from the internet and the porn they watch is violent and they are believing that is normal and copying it. Young girls are subjected to ordeals no one should be and young boys know no better.

It must be so scary for them and we have a responsibility to take that fear away.

Re: The Perception of Childhood

Not at age 3 surely !!

Re: The Perception of Childhood

Absolutely not. My son, without my knowledge, was taught sex education in primary school (he would have been about 7 at the time). When I picked him up from school, he didn't want me to kiss him. Wouldn't hold my hand crossing the road. When we got home and I offered to make him a sandwich, he refused and neither did he want a drink. He was also looking at me very oddly. I asked his sister did she know if anything was wrong - she said she didn't but would speak to him (he shied away when I went near him).

My daughter (who was about 12) did speak to him and he told her about the class at school and what he'd been told and shown. He then said he couldn't believe that 'mom had done anything like that and I'm not eating anything she touches and I'm not ever kissing her ever again either - it's all disgusting'.

I flew into that school the next day and left them with no mistaking how I felt about them conducting that class without consulting parents first - I could have predicted my son's reaction (my daugher would have been fine about it all), his mental maturity just wasn't up to handling the information he'd been given and putting it into an adult context.

Re: The Perception of Childhood

And that is an example of bad sex education that wasn't age appropriate and what we want to avoid happening.


Age appropriate means only giving the information the child can deal with and making sure they do not get more than they can cope with.

Re: The Perception of Childhood

He's now in his 30s and does remember the incident but we laugh about it now. Granted it's had no lasting effect on him but imagine the trauma the poor lad went through at that time.

How do teachers determine what an appropriate age is as all children differ in mental maturity. It's a tough one to call.

Re: The Perception of Childhood

I don't know I think when they ask questions is a good indicator and what they talk about amongst friends, also I wouldn't let teachers any where near sex education it should be professionals coming into the school periodically doing the teaching.

Re: The Perception of Childhood

Maybe back then it wasn't a specialist subject and they've learned that lesson now. I think you're probably right - maybe when they start asking questions.

Although, I do remember when my daughter, at the ripe old age of about 4, announced that she knew where babies came from my friends and I looked at each other in uncomfortable silence and then my daughter annouced 'they come from tagalogues' (catalogues) - all because when we'd all be looking through the clothing for children, we'd been cooing over which babies looked really cute so to her, that's how we got babies: we ordered the ones we liked the look of

Re: The Perception of Childhood

I completely disagree... A 3 year old is NOT too young to be told that genital touching by anyone is NOT normal or appropriate and that the child should report it immediately to an adult.. Kids that age are capable of sexual pleasure... and are too young to understand the mind games a manipulative molester can play. I think this is what is meant about age appropriate.. NO ONE is saying that they should be given a crash course in sex.