Sex Education for Children

I had little to no information on sex and relationships other than being warned at my first menstruation that I could get pregnant now and not to ‘let a man go down there!’ Added to what wasn’t said, the messages I received from my parents’ religious upbringing and their behaviour, were contradictory and negative and left me with feelings of confusion, shame and guilt about sex for many years.
I am now a busy, divorced mother of 2 children; now aged 22 and 21 years old respectively. As a result of my childhood experiences I was determined to be different with my own children. Whilst they were growing up, I actively made time to develop and foster a close relationship with them; one where they could talk openly and truthfully to me about everything; including relationships and sex.
For those of us who have children, they are the most precious things we have in life and instinctively we want to protect them from harm and keep them from growing up too soon. But within my experience working with schools and in undertaking research with young people on their sexual knowledge, sexual attitudes and sexual behaviour, I’ve seen the alarming consequences of poor sex education. The truth is our children are growing up quicker; they live in a society where sex is everywhere; on TV, music videos, the press etc., and they are regularly subjected to subliminal sex messages which glorify and perpetuate sexual stereotypes and sexual myths.
Young people will have sex at some point in their lives and as parents WE are best placed to equip our children with the positive skills, emotional intelligence and knowledge so that when ‘that’ time comes they can make the right choices about their relationships, sexuality and sexual health.
The UK has the highest rate of Teenage Pregnancies in Europe with rising Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) amongst young people. Evidence clearly shows that having children at a young age can damage young women’s health and well-being and severely limit their education and career prospects. Long term studies show that children born to teenagers are more likely to experience a range of negative outcomes in later life, and are up to three times more likely to become a teenage parent themselves. The facts are stark. It is clear that we need to start talking responsibly and positively about sex to our children so that we can: lower the risks to them; help them make a successful and healthy transition into adult life and; provide the foundation for them to form healthy relationships in the future.
Angela Birch, Director  www.stimulusforwomen.co.uk