The Importance of Sexual Education
It is important that sexuality is taught in early adolescence, as it is an individual’s introduction to their sexuality. It must be made clear to children that sex is not a shameful act and that it can be discussed openly and without stigma. I remember having the “sex talk” with my own mother; a conversation riddled with awkwardness, shame, and discomfort. We were in the car on our way to see a movie and she asked me if I knew where babies came from, which evoked a tentative “yes, the ‘s’ word.” Sex was akin to the dirtiest of curse words. My mother did all she could to normalize this subject with me, as many western parents try and fail to do. However, if our society cannot normalize this conversation with our citizens of tomorrow, this cycle will continue until we are all reduced to awkward vessels of suppressed libido. Therefore, this paper will explore how early sex education is crucial to positively impact a child as they grow into their adult sexuality.
As children, our early adolescence seems to break into pre and post puberty. This scary division in time is dreaded by parents as they slowly build up the courage to have ‘the talk’ with their children. Puberty is an embarrassing and awkward stage of the human experience. Physically, the awkwardness cannot be helped: things are growing, body parts are changing. It is an unfortunate right of passage every adolescent must endure. However, the emotional trauma that seems to walk hand in hand with puberty, could be situated with societies attitude towards children’s sexual health. Our bodies are being primed for sexual reproduction and adulthood, why is this inevitable stage of life made to be such a shameful process? As discussed in class, it is important that children be familiarized with their own bodies in order to detect potential health risks and abnormalities, such as breast and testicular cancers. If the topic of puberty and sexual health are breached as painful discussions, that will negatively impact the child’s view of their own body. These early conversations set up the tone for their entire journey into adulthood.
It is vital to take the taboo out of sex when having these coming of age discussions with our children. In western culture, sex is painted to be a scary, adult act that is inappropriate to discuss within the confines of a family or a classroom. This creates a dirty stigma around the word ‘sex’ that closes the door for educational discussions to take place. If society continues to discuss sex in hushed whispers, it will reinforce the idea that sex is a source of shame, doomed for those living in eternal condemnation. This idea is shown in The Sessions, when Mark grows up ashamed of his sexuality due to the type of sexual education he received as a child (Lewin, 2012). “The primary goals of sexual education are to reduce risky sexual behaviour, teen pregnancy, and STI’s,” all of which paint sex as a scary act (Crockett, et al. 179, 2019). Of course it is important to be informed about the realities of sex, however, the current curriculum has furthered the dichotomy where abstinence is good and sex is bad. Other aspects of sex such as pleasure, fluidity, and non-normative relations are overshadowed by the risks of sex. The positive aspects of human sexuality are equally as important as the negative are to a well-rounded sexual education.
There is an emphasis placed on preserving childhood innocence, the argument being that early sexual education is equal to the premature dirtying of a child’s psyche. However, sexual education is crucial at an early age so that children have the knowledge to recognize sexual abuse and hopefully decrease their vulnerability. As discussed in class, if children are not educated about sex, they could have a higher chance of being assaulted by a sexual predator. If they are unaware about what constitutes an inappropriate touch or consent at an early age, issues could arise as they grow into adulthood. “Childhood is a critical period in which the child is interpellated as a particular kind of ‘future’ citizen subject,” and are greatly influenced by the education they receive in these early impressionable years (Robinson and Davies 218, 2017). A healthy and well-rounded sexual education could prevent individuals to be victims of sexual assault as well as the perpetrator of non-consensual advances. “Sensitizing children…to the nature and extent of sexual violence,” while giving them “permission to discuss it,” is crucial for it’s prevention (Gordon 175, 2010). The discussion needs to be opened up at an early age because of the lack of “control…children have over their bodies and lives” (Gordon 178, 2010). There needs to be multiple sources available to children to seek help and understanding to prevent sexual violence.
In researching the topic of early sexual education, I could understand the desire of wanting to preserve a child’s innocence. However, this fear reiterates the idea that sex is something sinful and negative, rather than viewing it in its full form. Sex is discussed with such seriousness that it is viewed more as a burden than a natural aspect of the human experience. In class, we discussed how proper sexual education is important to prevent becoming a victim of sexual assault, but in my own self reflection and research, I realized it’s importance in preventing individuals to grow up to become sexual predators themselves. The deeper the understanding had about the power of not only our own bodies, but of the bodies around us, could allow for less violent sexual expression. If sex could be discussed openly and without judgment, I believe the stigmas and violence around sexual education would begin to dissipate.
Works Cited
Crockett, Lisa J., et al. “Puberty Education in a Global Context: Knowledge Gaps, Opportunities, and Implications for Policy.” Journal of Research on Adolescence, vol. 29, no. 1, 2019, pp. 177–195. University of British Columbia Library, doi:10.1111/jora.12452.
Gordon, Peter. “Sexuality Education and the Prevention of Sexual Violence.” 2010, pp. 175–185., www.coe.int/t/dg3/children/1in5/Source/PublicationSexualViolence/Gordon.pdf
Robinson K.H., Davies C. (2017) Sexuality Education in Early Childhood. In: Allen L., Rasmussen M. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Sexuality Education, pp. 217-242. Palgrave Macmillan, London. University of British Columbia Library, DOI 10.1057/978-1-137-40033-8_11
The Sessions. Directed by Ben Lewin. Performances by John Hawkes and Helen Hunt. Fox Searchlight Pictures 2012.