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A few months ago, Presidential candidate Barack Obama created quite a stir when he suggested that aspects of sex education had a place in the kindergarten classroom. Conservatives went wild, claiming this idea reflected Obama’s weak morals and that sex education was damaging for young children.
Liberals pointed out that Obama’s idea was not to teach five-year-olds the equivalent of a college level human sexuality class, but rather to address issues like the difference between appropriate and inappropriate touch.
But opponents of sex education (and Barack Obama) dismissed these claims and continued to argue that the only appropriate way to talk about sex with youth was through abstinence-only education.
The debate about sex education is a particularly American one. In a lot of other Western countries this class doesn’t raise any eyebrows. In fact, in some parts of Europe, sex ed has been a mandatory part of elementary school education since the1950s!
So why do a lot of Americans react so negatively to something many others take for granted?
In an interview about sex education with the Washington Post, the Swiss head of a research group on adolescent medicine gave one possible answer. "The main difference is that in the States sexual activity is considered a risk. Here we consider it a pleasure," he explained.
Another reason is that people fear that talking about sex with young children will traumatize them, or that it will encourage them to try it out for themselves.
But research doesn’t back up this notion, and studies have found that far from harming children, those who get age-appropriate sex education have sex later and are safer when they do. This result is apparent in Western Europewhere there are much lower teen pregnancy and STDs than are found in the States.
But as the reaction to Obama’s comments showed, there is still a wide range of ideas about when sex ed should begin: Some feel it should be provided in kindergarten, and others think the material is inappropriate even for high school seniors.
Though a lot of people have offered their opinions on this matter, one voice that hasn’t been heard a lot during this debate is that of youth. I’m curious, when do you think sex ed should begin?
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I think good touch/bad touch should be addressed very early on (grade one or two). When I was in grade 3 (I think) we watched a video about it that just basically talked about stranger danger, "But my relative said it would feel nice" (it was a lot more subtle than it sounds) and what girls have and what boys have. It was a cartoon and it helped me out a lot!
When I lived in NY state, we had taken "family life" classes starting in 4th grade. In the beginning they mostly covered things such as puberty and menstruation, and also "good touch/bad touch." We had it each year from then until 7th grade, when it began to alternate every year. The cirriculum would slowly escalate, with 5th grade bringing discussions about pregnancy, then by 7th grade the talk of STDS, contraceptives, and other material.
i had a 2 day sex ed class in the 5th grade and for the most part, everyone took it well. they sent out a permission slip just in case and i thought that was a good time to start. i then had a class in the 7th grade (although it had things like drugs and ect.) but it didn't really help because i knew it already. i moved between that time and i guess that was the first class like that for the locals. i'm on the edge of the fence with obama. i mean i do want him to win ellections, but i just don't know……
I believe in America all we are taught is Abstinece Until Marriage, which sounds like a great idea to parents but how many of them waited? I think Obama's idea is great. I think children should be taught about inappropriate touching and later on reproductive systems. Sex is some kind of taboo now and it shouldn't be everyone does it.
im all for the innappropriat touch teaching for kindergarteners , but not for anything to in detail about getting it on if ya know wat i mean until people start maturing . but yes we should be teaching more about "safe sex" and more about how not to get pregnant .. cause seriously your life doesnt start getting more interesting till collage and how many girls lifes have been ruiened because they had a baby @ 15.. .
the first time i got anything resembling sex ed was in seventh grade, and by that time everyone i knew was well aware of what sex was and the repercussions. it's asinine for adults to think that sex ed is "inappropriate" for anyone. with the amount of sex in the media these days, kids are going to get the impression that britney spears's and paris hilton's whorish antics are the sexual norm (which, sadly, they sort of are). if they're getting sex ed earlier on, however, maybe the younger generations can have better chances of not getting pregnant or diseased.
The Europeans have it right. Period. Obama isn't onto something groundbreaking. It's what works.
I didn't quite appreciate the politics in this post. On topic…
Yes. I think there should be sex education very early on. But I mean, not like safe sex or contraceptives. The differences between girls and boys and what would be inappropriate touch and behavior would be a very good idea. I have been pretty good in sex ed for as long as I can remember.
It came as a mixture of my parents, my older friend, TV, and my own research. I couldn't tell you exactly what happened, but before I was 8 I could definitely tell you that when people loved eachother, guys got on top of the women naked and made some movements and got pregnant that way. By 11 I was totally schooled on safe sex, sexuality, homosexuality, STDs. I didn't even know that kids needed to be taught sex ed in school. I thought everybody knew: use condoms, you can get pregnant every day of the year, blah.
I'm still shocked that a lot of teenagers don't know this. I mean we get told about safe sex on tv all the time or whatever.
The most important thing I learned about was this: Sex is something that people who love eachother do. I learned that really, really early. And I think that is why I am still a virgin, at 15, and will be until the time is right and I find the right guy. I don't believe in casual sex and I don't feel like having sex just cause I know about it. And I've known a lot about it many years.
I agree with Obama. We need to educate young children, because unfortunately, there are a lot of disgusting pedophiles out there. The only way we can protect children is if they are aware of the fact that they are being abused! Denying the problem will not put these men in jail. Also, I live in Canada, and we have much lower teen pregnancy rates than the U.S. This is because we teach sex education, not abstinence. Sex is human nature, everyone will do it, most while they are still in high school. Why would anyone want to deprive their children of the knowledge and power to protect themselves????
Why do schools think they can't present both the option of abstisence and the concept of safe-sex together in order to provide a proper sex education for youth today? The two educations don't contradict each other.Youth today need to be taught that it's okay to wait, but if they feel like they're ready to have sex, they need to be smart about it.
Anyway, as for Obama's idea of starting to talk about "the birds and the bees" in kindergarten, I do agree with Timestop4ever's comment of starting off slow and continuing on with having the education build up in seriousness and content as students become older.
I agree with everyone else who's posted. The Kindgergarten thing sounds like a great idea. Obama is the best!
But here's the thing: adults who are uncomfortable talking about it ( my mother for instance ) will most definatly protest to Barak's Idea, saying that Kindergarten is wayyy too young. What they don't realise is how fast kids are starting to party these days – I heard a bunch of grade seveners in my hallway talking about getting a fourty for the party they were going to on the weekend. A lot of unexpected things can happen to you at an increasingly younger age – best to teach them before it happens!
I think that Obama has a good idea. Teaching little kids inappropriate touch would be great. I think that it is stupid that adults freak out when someone chooses to teach kids sex education, yet they git mad when their child is sexually molested.If the kid knew what was happening they would be able to get help. I also think that if sex ed starts in kindergarten and that each year they can add another level to it. Like start out with inappropriate touching and then go to maybe informing them about spotting what to stay away from like people that might be dangerous. I think the reason why most people did not like the idea is because they probably think that they will be standing in the class room talking about all the details about sex. But that is not the case. I think he would start slow and then pick up. When i was a fourth and fifth grader I learned about my period and parts of the vagina and a little about boys parts but not much. I am glad that they tought that. Then when I was in the eighth grade we learned about STD's and making sure that you and your partner get checked before sexual activity occurs. She didn't come out and say "I don't want any of you having sex" all she simply did was show us facts about STD's. But all together I do thing that sex education should start in kindergarten
to try and prevent the spread of STD's and under aged pregnancy.
i was gonna write a comment, but i basically agree with what everyone else has already written. this age appropriate sex education (the thing with appropriate vs. inappropriate touch) could also reduce the number of child molest cases…not necessarily, but in the long run…because many children who are molested do not realize that their molester is doing anything wrong, but if they are taught this from a young age, they will learn how to say no to inappropriate touches
I think that it is a great idea to teach younger kids about inappropriate touch. I would've known the difference when I was in a bad situation a while back. Support Obama!!!
i fifth elizabeth!
I think that it should begin in school ss soon as kindergarten, and at home as soon as the birth. I remember being taught in kindergarden at that time that nobody had the right to touch what my swimsuit covered. That might be not the best example: what if someone tickles your stomach? lol but the general idea is good.
With children that are still far from puberty, the best bet would be a bit of safety advice, basic teaching about their sexual parts, and going from there trying to give the most accurate answers to the question/rumors that will arise on the playground or in class.
I FOURTH Elizabeth!
I third Elizabth.
i second elizabeth!
I think that teaching kindergarteners about appropriate and inappropriate touch is an excellence idea.
Teaching age appropriate sex education through the school years is a great way to show kids and teens that its okay to talk about sex and sexuality and to ask questions.
But I think that getting to a place where we feel comfortable doing this in the U.S. will take a lot of work. Damn puritanical cultural traditions.