Kendal Gott FCST 423
Introduction
Human sexuality is a topic that in today’s society is often discussed and publicized. It is now more than ever a critical time to offer and have access to accredited, reliable, and thoughtful information on the subject. “The talk” should not be an optional discussion, but a necessary conversation that should take place between a parent/legal guardian and their child. Parents should offer a safe environment for children to ask questions and open discussion. One has often heard a similar saying to, “if you do not educate your child about sex, then someone else will.” Children and adults need to know the appropriate word usage for private body parts, all the details of sexual intercourse, and the importance of sex and one’s sexuality. Family life education can offer valuable resources and education to support children and parents in understanding and discussing the sometimes sensitive and often difficult conversation topic. It is the responsibility of family life educator to offer age-appropriate and up-to-date resource information.
Editors of Parenting.com. (2016). Talking to Kids About Sex. Des Moines, IA: Meredith Corporation. http://www.parenting.com/article/talking-to-kids-about-sex-2133554.
Explanation
This topic is particularly significant to me because I do not feel that I received the fully disclosed and informed, “sex talk,” that I needed as an adolescent. There are several issues of sex and sexuality that I feel need to be discussed long before a child enters the teenage years. According to Parenting.com, parents should begin talking to their children about sexuality at around age three. In age appropriate terms and explanation of course. The editors of Parenting.com encourage a series of conversations about sex and sexuality starting from ages three to twelve. As stated by Parenting.com, “Age 12: By now, kids are formulating their own values, so check in every so often to provide a better context for the information your child's getting. But avoid overkill or you'll be tuned out (http://www.parenting.com/article/talking-to-kids-about-sex-2133554).”
Family life education should encourage an open and ongoing dialogue on the topics of sex and human sexuality. Family life educators should encourage parents to appropriately discuss human sexuality and related matters of sexuality with their children and parents should also discuss amongst each other. I believe it is important that family life educators present to parents the different forms of sexual education programs and the research to go along with each program’s effectiveness. As well as I believe parents sometimes need values clarification. While well-informed sexuality educators are needed, many lack certified training and proper training for sexuality education is imperative. According to Darling and Cassidy (2014), “Teaching sexuality should be from an ecological context, evidence based, needs driven, and evaluated. Because teacher preparation about sexuality is minimal in academic programs, it is important to provide teachers with in-service training, applicable research, and clearly documented teaching activities that have been found to work in classrooms (p.224).” Although teaching human sexuality does have its challenges and obstacles, this topic is an essential area of family life education that needs to and must be taught accurately and effectively.
Editors of Parenting.com. (2016). Talking to Kids About Sex. Des Moines, IA: Meredith Corporation. http://www.parenting.com/article/talking-to-kids-about-sex-2133554.
Darling, C.A., & Cassidy, D. (2014). Family Life Education: Working with Families across the Lifespan, Third Edition. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc. 224.
Teaching Activity or Resource
When discussing or educating on matters of sex or sexuality education, I believe it is refreshing to hear from an expert outsider through an external outlet, such as this video. I believe this method for teaching helps to break the ice and then opens up discussion among students and the educator. I appreciate that Debby Herbendick paints a clear picture of the pain and stress caused by a lack of sexuality education. However, I do want to note that I do not promote or agree with all of her methods of promoting sexuality education.
Herbendick, D. (2013). Making Sex Normal: Debby Herbendick at TEDxBloomington. Bloomington, IN: TEDx.
Informational Resources
This Guttmacher Fact Sheet would be an appropriate educational resource for parents and teenagers. This resource discusses how teenagers get their sex education informatoin and what information they possess.
Guttmacher Institute. (2016). American Teens' Sources of Sexual Health Education. New York, NY: Guttmacher, Institute.
Copy and Paste llink: http://kinseyconfidential.org
Kinsey Confidential offers sexual health information for adults. This is an organization through the Kinsey Institute. It provides a informative blog, podcasts, and additional resources on issues related to sex, love, and relationships.
Kinsey Institute, Indiana University. (2016). Kinsey Confidential: Sexual Health Information from the Kinsey Institute. Bloomington, IN: Kinsey Institute.
This handout is appropriate to use as an educational tool with small children. It addresses the private and anatomy areas of our bodies. This handout is used as a preventive tool against child sexual abuse.
The Mama Bear Effect. (2016). What Are Private Parts? Pinehurst, MA: The Mama Bear Effect.