Better to start teaching safe sex practices early rather than late. By teaching "what a blow job is" I assume that's for education purposes and not for entertainment purposes?

Seeing as I have a 9 year old daughter; I'd be concerned. GRANTED; sex education has to be taught sometime; but it doesn't need the whole gamut of oral sex and other such things. I do and have talked with my 9 year old about sex, how it happens, along with *age* appropriate books and she used to watch The Baby Story with me on Lifetime when I was pregnant with her little brother so she knows, having babies = pain, etc. I've given her books on how her body will change, etc. as well. I think it's responsible, the education part of it, but not quite so sure why "what a blow job is" is necessary to the conversation at that age other than "boys will try to get you to do *things* - basically, don't touch IT at all". Or maybe I'm being naive.

At that age I focused much more on periods and stuff than the actual making babies stuff.

Nowadays, in my house, with my 16 yr old son (with a 14 yr old girlfriend) all I ever seem to talk about is condoms, and I have volunteered to place one on a banana.... :P

I bought my daughter an excellent book when she was about 8 or 9 (she was getting breast buds so the time was getting near)that went into all the important stuff. I don't even know if it covered sex or not, if it did, it did it in a non threatening manner.

At the same time, my son- who wasn't anywhere near the puberty yet- wanted a book too. All the books i found for boys that covered body changes (which is what he specifically asked for) went into great detail about sex, contraception, STDs, etc. Sort of a weird double standard....

I think that basic sex ed is appropriate at age 9; puberty can start that early, after all.

I think it's great that a parent is so involved with her kid's sex education. The sooner you teach it matter-of-factly, the less of a chance there is of there being any kind of shame associated with the subject.

Good for her, honestly. It may be a *little* over the girls heads, but I'd rather she took a proactive approach and gave her daughter complete, accurate, comprehensive education starting now, rather than waiting and figuring she can start at 15, 17, 20, never, and it's too late. I applaud her. Tell her your former sex-ed-teaching friend says thank you. :-)

wait wait, the lady took someone ELSES child to be taught about sex without.. permission???
I think sex ed is important (although I thought the whole thing was embarrassing, gross, and horribly uncomfortable to learn in a school setting)
but educating someone elses' kid seems .. .out of place, unless the parents discussed it in depth before hand.

Its a sad sad world that 9 year olds probably SHOULD be taught about condoms, isnt it? Geez I think about what I was doing at age 13.. and .. yeah.

WTF?!

Now there's a parent that shouldn't be a parent. Can't even take responsibility to teach their own kids the facts of life. Sad.

Early education: good
Not doing it yourself: bad

Edited at 2008-03-26 08:59 pm (UTC)

My son is almost 13 now, and I've taken the "answer questions as he asks them" kind of thing. I remember when he was about 3 and taking a bath, he pointed to his penis and asked me what it was. One question led to another, like "Do you have one?" and so on. I figured that if he was old enough to ask, he was old enough to know the answer. He's asked me about condoms and blow jobs and raunchy things he's heard other boys talk about but doesn't think sound quite right. I've offered to show him the condom on the banana during one of those conversations, but he gave me an "oh jeez Mom" look and didn't take me up on it. But I'm sure when the time comes that he will.

What?

"Go put away your Bratz dolls, MacKenzyie, it's time for your hummer class."

I think not. Not until at least fifth grade.

That is WAY too young, in my opinion. Maybe when they turn 13, perhaps, but 9? Geez!

I used to think that age was too early (it was high school before we had sex education -- biiiig mistake), but thinking back, I knew people who were already having sex in the 5th and 6th grade. If they weren't having sex, they were talked into oral sex (mostly girls). I went to school with a lot of people who were pregnant by age 16. So I think sex education at that age might be appropriate. I don't know how detailed the class was, but it sounds intensive and a bit like it would've gone over a nine-year-old's head. XD Covering the basics at nine should be fine, and the more in depth stuff around 11-12? I think at young ages, sex happens a lot because of pressure and not understanding the significance of sex. So focusing on those areas when kids are younger might be the best option? I want kids to understand the biological and emotional aspects of sex.

*faints*

That is only two years older than my baby. Okay, part of me can maybe (huge stretch) see teaching her about safe sex, condoms and ABSTINENCE!!!! in two years. Amberielle already knows basically how a baby is made as she has a little brother. But blow jobs... no way in heck. But then again if my plans follow through, she shall be innocent until the day she is wed. ???

Well, considering the fact that kids are getting sexually active earlier and earlier nowadays, it doesn't hurt to be informed, especially if the child's mature for his/her age and already asking questions about it.

It may sound shocking but it could be needed. There was a story recently about 1 and 4 teenaged girls having an STD (what about the guys?) During on of the local stations report on the story they interview a Principal who had a kid in forth grade that was pregnant.

You don't want to say go have at it, but most sex education doesn't say that. However by ignoring it is much like ignoring any medical condition as it will only get worse.