In honor of National Family Sexuality Education Month (October), I’d like to bring your attention to your own family with a question: How often do you talk about sexuality, with your spouse, your kids, your parents?
Sexuality is a critical part of a healthy life. Our culture is heavily divided with regards to sex. Sex is sensationalized by commercials, movies, TV, and pornography (all widely available on the internet regardless of age!) but comprehensive sex education is lacking all across our great nation. The US government continues to fund abstinence-only education programs that only serve to strike fear in the hearts of aroused, curious teenagers. These programs fail to share the important information our youth need to make informed, conscious choices regarding their pleasure, health, and futures.
Part of the debate is whether it is the responsibility of parents at home or the public schools to provide sex education, and how young should it begin. Popular culture suggests that sex education can be contained within a single session in health class or a single conversation between parent and child, i.e. “the talk.” But this approach results in uneducated, sexually active teenagers with pregnancies, untreated STIs and unrealistic expectations of what healthy sex looks and feels like.
It’s important for someone to educate our youngest generations about the reality of sex, including pleasure, contraception, and STIs. Sex brought our children into this world. Why not include sexuality in every day conversation amongst your family?
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