Weddingbee boards

I think schools that primarily teach abstinance should start teaching more fact...there will always be kids that have sex and if they dont know the risk, then they will just put themselves at risk.

We should have spent more time on STD's, I personally think. I know plenty of kids that should have seen picture proof that yes, you can get open sores on your privates.

For me, I just think schools should teach fact, and leave opinion out. Make condoms easily availible...not to promote sexual activity, but to allow those that are going to do it anyway have access to what they need. I think we just need to man up and realize that no matter how much we preach that kids shouldn't do it, they are going to anyway, so we might as well give them all fact.

I went to school in very very conservative counties/parishes in Texas and Louisiana, and they pushed abstinence at us very very hard. We were taught the basics of puberty, but almost nothing past that. The belief seemed to be that being taught comprehensive sex education was the same thing as encouraging us all to have sex.

It was doubly bad for kids like me, whose parents didn't sit down with us to have the talk. I mean no sort of talk...when I got my period the first time I thought I was dying (I started before we got the puberty class). Anything I knew about sex and pregnancy I learned from TV, the internet, or my older brothers. I was very lucky I didn't get pregnant when I was a teenager...much luckier than the two dozen or so girls who had gotten pregnant and/or had kids by the time we graduated (for some reference, there were approximately 150 girls in my graduating class). 

I think it's super important to be informed about sex and everything that comes with is. The way I see it, kids are going to be having sex regardless, and I'd rather my children (and their partners) know how to protect themselves from unplanned pregnancies and STDs. 

As for exactly how much, I do think that teaching kids about beastiality and BDSM is taking it too far. 

@zippylef: I agree with your position too.  Abstinence only education is no education at all. 

I think mentioning the extracurricular activities (i.e. BDSM, beastiality, etc.) is a little too much for the school system-- especially since we can't already depend on public schools to do a great job with a more limited curriculum.  I think an otherwise comprehensive sex ed class is crucial because I know I didn't want to ask my parents all the questions, even though we were very open with one another.  I had gender segregated sex-ed in 4th and 5th grade-- if I remember correctly the 4th grade lesson was just a day. The 5th grade was a few weeks long (and I distinctly remember the boys having a female teacher!) 

In middle school both boys and girls had "Health" class, which was half of the year-- alternating with Physical Education-- and included Sex Ed. In high school we only had to have two semesters of Gym/Health (yes, we had semesters) and again the course was split half between PE and half health, which included STDs, practices, etc. 

I felt incredibly informed and capable of making decisions about my own body, but never once did I have to put a condom on a banana!

I think schools should teach comprehensive sex ed because the fact is, kids will have sex, so they should really be prepared to understand what's going on and how to protect themselves.  I think that the responsibility for sex education does fall on the parents.  However, the reality is, some parents either don't care or just won't teach their kids anything.  Some kids also need to hear it from someone other than their parents in order to believe it, also. ;-)

I do think, though, that they should be optional and that if parents are not comfortable with the material, they should have the right to ask for an alternate activity for their child.  At the end of the day, they're kids until the are 18 and their parents should have the final say.  Right or wrong, whether they'll do a good job on their own or what, the parents should have that right.

I never got taught sex ed at school. And I think that was a huge failing of the school. Because I didnt really get sex ed from my parents either, I ended up walking through puberty completely confused about everything to do with body changes and sex. I guess the school's main aim was "dont talk about it and nothing bad will happen," and theoretically that approach worked because no one at the school got pregnant while I was there (there was also a six inch rule between male and female students, which I didnt follow, ha!)....BUT their approach did nothing to help us have a healthy understanding of sex once we left the school.

My sisters are still at that school, in the dorm, and just last month three of their dorm "brothers" were caught spying on girls in the showers. Apparently they had been doing it for months. Because sexuality is such a hidden, protected thing in that society, my sisters and the other girls have no idea how to cope or deal with their feelings of shame since this happened. They feel too guilty to talk about it (even though it is not their fault of course).The boys were expelled. Maybe if they had been able to express their questions and feelings about sex in a more healthy way this never would have happened? Who knows...but I do think their definitely needs to be a proper sex ed programme at that school.