The Birds and the Bees

[loyalguard]

Here is how it went down with me:

We were slated to learn the birds and the bees in our once a week health class in fifth grade. Two weeks prior the school sent home to our parents a note that the class would be taught and what would be discussed. The idea behind this was that our parents could prep us for what was to come if they felt it was necessary. Mine did not. The day arrived, we got to class and we received our books. We started at the beginning of the chapter and each had to take turns reading a paragraph. Guess which one I got? Here is the practically verbatim passage I had to read (this link contains a graphic description of intercourse):

Possible NSFW Text

As you can see it is very clinical but embarrasing to read out loud (Yes, it really said husband and wife - Catholic School afterall...)

Long story short...too late...I left class with more questions than I entered (for those who read my link you can see why...they went from A to C with no description of B. Anyway, I do not recommend this method.

On a lighter note, I think watchng the classroom scene of Monty Python's "The Meaning of Life" is the ideal method!

[MrMon]

My stepdaughter is 10 and she's known most of the story since she's been 7. She asked and my wife just went through the whole thing right there. Caught her off guard, but it seemed the time to do it. A lot of misinformation was starting around school, so it was best to just eliminate that right up front.

I assume Mrs. Utah's daughter will be in 4th grade this year. Most of the girls seem to start developing in 4th, so now's the time, as soon as the right moment comes up. A lot of the girls have NO information at this stage and are totally confused. A lot of the mom's don't know what to do either, but you're in a better place than most to deal with it.

[diebitter]

I have 3 children, 10 and 7 (boys) and 4 (girl).

so far, I have talked about the mechanics of how babies are made whenever the question come up. I think with my eldest he was abou6 or 7, and my 7 year old hasn't specifically asked, though I'm pretty sure he's vaguaely aware of it (it has talked about when he was 3 when my wife was last pregnant, but that was quite a while ago). My eldest also brings home library books which have ALL the technical information in, which he read and showed me, and we talked about it then.

I see my other children being similar, so will be talking to my middle child about this imminently.

For my oldest (and when the others reach the same age/maturity) I intend to go into the moral and, well,'human condition', aspects of sex with him in maybe a year or less.

I'll then be prepared for a 3rd talk when he's a little older again and thinking about girls where I'll be going over the techincal stuff, the ethical/moral/human condition stuff again, but also adding some more talk about sexual health, contraception and STDs.

I also have gone to lengths to make my children aware of the biological world around them from a young age by going to zoos (humane/breeding program zoos), museums and using stuff like David Attenborough DVDs like 'Life on Earth' and 'Trials of Life' to get them thinking about other creatures and the world, and sex/reproduction is present on these DVDs, and the children are allowed to watch those parts without censorship (but with one of us present, so if they ask anything, we can answer).


Seriously, I have no problem talking about sex with my children when they ask or when it becomes the right age to do so. Talking about what happens when we die or questions about God are way harder.

[tshort]

Ali G

Does you think parents should educate their kid about sex?

Guest Panel: ... yes, yes answer their questions honestly, yes ...

So, should parent invite the kids in the room while they is boning or should they show them porno?

Guest Panel: ... no, no , no no no, no ...

Like me Dad when I asked him about sex, he said "Yo, you hide in that kitchen cupboard at 8 o'clock tonight." Then at 8 o'clock he brought back this honey much fitter than me mom and he boned her like every which way while winkin at me. Man, I still use some of those move like the crouching soldier and whatever."

Religion and Democracy Lady: "You see that sort of instance seems disrespectful to your mother. I thi"

[cutting her off] No, she wasn't in the house.

Anthropologist: I actually suspect that most kids most places in the world learn about sex because everyone sleeps in the same room.

Religion Lady: Or from animals.

How do u learn from animals? That's kinda weird sex... people havin sex wit animals is like

Religion Lady: No, no, I'm talking about a dog having sex with a dog.



So, you could:

1) Let your kids watch

2) Show them porno

3) Bring a fine honey home and put on a show

4) Let them watch dogs have sex

[Bill C]

There was an article in today's Las Vegas Review-Journal about HPV (Huma Papilloma Virus) which is transmitted by sexual contact and is a cause of genital warts and also has been linked to cancer of the cervix.

In it they stress the need and propwer age to bring up this topic with a teenaged girl, and also share some info on folding that into an overall discussion of sex.

Here is the article

Hope it is of some help. FWIW, I know a little about HPV and this vaccination is very worthwhile.

bill c

[katyseagull]

I learned about the birds and the bees in the 5th grade from my friend's sister Jenny. (Thank you very much Jenny for ending my childhood.) I remember being completely grossed out - "You LIAR!" - and Jenny and my friend laughing at me and me getting mad at the fact they were such disgusting friends. They laughed about it for the next 5 years.

My mom never had 'the talk' with me or my sisters. To be honest I never really wanted to talk to her about it. Just thinking about it gives me the heebie-jeebies. Body changes was bad enough, I didn't really want to discuss sex with her.

My brother-in-law thinks you don't really need to tell your kids. He says they will learn it on their own from their friends or in health class. He thinks talking about it with your kids is very weird and awkward. I think he's a big chicken.

I think if I have a daughter I will just buy her a book and lay it on her desk when she is like 13 or something. I'll tell her if she has any questions to go ask her Aunt Lynn. (Hopefully my daughter won't be looking any of this stuff up on the internet.)

[vulturesrow]

[ QUOTE ]
My brother-in-law thinks you don't really need to tell your kids. He says they will learn it on their own from their friends or in health class. He thinks talking about it with your kids is very weird and awkward. I think he's a big chicken.

[/ QUOTE ]

I think your brother-in-law is treading a dangerous path. Any time parents abscond from their duty to educate their children, especially on matters like this, it leads to bad situations. Does he really want your daughter learning this stuff from her peers? Even health class only gets you so far. And yes, he is a big chicken.

[Peter Harris]

my mum was always straightforward, she answered all questions straight up, and then when sex ed came up in school she asked us if we understood/got what they were driving at that week. If we never talked about it again, neither did she.

[Mrs. Utah]

[ QUOTE ]
There was an article in today's Las Vegas Review-Journal about HPV (Huma Papilloma Virus) which is transmitted by sexual contact and is a cause of genital warts and also has been linked to cancer of the cervix.

In it they stress the need and propwer age to bring up this topic with a teenaged girl, and also share some info on folding that into an overall discussion of sex.

Here is the article

Hope it is of some help. FWIW, I know a little about HPV and this vaccination is very worthwhile.

bill c

[/ QUOTE ]

This is an interesting article and a lot of people are unaware of HPV. I see a lot of it at work, and a lot of my patients have had colposcopy because of abnormal pap exams.

This vaccine is something I will certainly talk with my pediatrician about and the question would become, how much information would I share with my daughters, depending on when (if) they were to recieve this.
I think there is a very big difference between talking to a 9 year old and a 13+ year old. However, puberty for girls now typically falls between 8-12 years.
Its sounds easy to talk about but as smart as kids are, they are not necessarily emotionally capable of understanding what you are telling them, imo. Heck, my 9 year old is wicked smart and well read for her age, but she gets completely unglued about certain things and I often still have to remind her to brush her hair. [img]/images/graemlins/tongue.gif[/img] Looking at her, its easy to forget that she is a little girl...but she still is. (and she hates the fact that I still think of her as a "little girl")