Monday, May 02, 2005

Learning About Sex with Mom: It's become a joke that parents pass off teaching their kids about sex to the schools. Instead of explaining the birds and the bees, Mom and Dad can avoid such awkwardness by letting junior watch some school-sponsored video made in the '70s.

And you know what? That's the way it should be. I realized that after seeing this article about a Maryland school district that is having to actively block parents from sitting in with their kids during sex-ed courses. Under most circumstances, any parent is allowed to join their kids for class so long as they ask ahead of time. Not in this case anymore.

God bless the school district for having common sense. I know that it's a problem that discussions about sex have moved away from the family and into the classroom. But mixing the two is not the answer. If parents want to talk to their children about sexuality, by all means, they should be encouraged. But that should be done at home.

When I was a youngen, my parents had the option of previewing the material ahead of time, separate from the students, in case they found anything objectionable. That makes sense. But can you imagine the chill that would happen to any frank discussion if Johnny's mother was sitting in the corner listening in on teens as they first learn about sex?

There are some things that health professionals know that parents don't. Let's educate children about sex. You parents have years to instill your values -- you don't need to infringe on a couple hours of independent learning. We need to keep family out of the schools.