I'm afraid I may have taken on more than I can handle in teaching sex ed. How do you teach about sex to a culture that often refuses to discuss it? How do I draw the line between teaching what is scientific fact, and what I believe is right? It's so difficult. We've heard about husbands consistently leaving their families behind, or having several different families, or just regularly having affairs, and it's all just accepted. Why is it accepted? What's the mindset behind it? And how do we make any impact on the kids we're teaching, to try to start changing the mindset? Am I actually going to be able to make any difference at all?
And how do we teach the girls to be strong and to stand up for themselves, and to expect to be treated with respect and love? How do you teach these things? Where did I learn them? My parents. Why aren't the parents here teaching their kids this?
Things I want to get across:
- sex isn't a secret!
- no one has to have sex before they're ready
- it's not a toy, a past time, or a game
- monogamous relationships are safer and more emotionally fulfilling than having multiple sexual partners
- consent must must must be given
- girls have just as much say as boys in whether or not they want to have sex
Gah! How do I do this?!
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i believe in you.
ReplyDeleteI think you're doing it. My guess is that you caring about them is doing everything that can be done. The culture may tell those girls that they have no worth, but you’re offering them an alternative. You’re telling them that they’re worth more than they ever probably dared to assume, and modeling the self-respect and strength that they’re going to want to adopt; that’s all you can do, and that’s enough. The rest is theirs to own. Good work, crazy! I think you’re awesome!
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