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Nathan Lucero August 28, 2018 FHS 2450 Human Sexuality U1E1 Information About Sexuality

Question

Why do you think some parents (maybe yours included) are hesitant to discuss sexuality
with their children? If you are not a parent, do you think you will communicate about sexuality
like your parents or will you approach the subject differently? If you are a parent, have you
communicated to your children about sexuality? Was your approach different than your parents?

Answer Word Count: 643

Some parents choose not to educate their children about sexuality (including my own) for

a number of reasons. Some of them that I have noticed include religion and morals, social

stigmas, fear of overexposure, and delegation. In my experiences of talking about sexuality with

my parents, I had to initiate the conversation and bring awareness to questions/problems that I

was already dealing with. Having a parent actively want to discuss taboo topics with their

children is a really valuable experience and can remove some of the confusion and

misunderstandings associated with human sexuality.

In the state of Utah particularly, it is extremely common that children aren’t taught about

human sexuality in depth. When I was growing up, I know that some of my friends weren’t

talked to by their parents about sexuality, as well as myself. I know that for some religions, sex is

a sacred practice that is only referenced to in a certain context, which is most likely the reason

why others and myself weren’t thoroughly educated.

As society gets more and more fast-paced and professional and the role of a child shrinks,

education regarding sexuality suddenly becomes awkward and stigmatized. I have noticed this to

be true in my own life. When I was in fourth grade, I remember that my school had a maturation

program for all of the girls and boys in my school that were my age. I remember that because
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sexuality was so stigmatized, it was an awkward and embarrassing experience. Part of this is due

to lack of exposure to sexual material, but most of it is due to the stigmas that parents and society

place on sexuality when we are young.

Two more reason that parents choose to not educate their child about human sexuality is

in part to the fear of overexposure and a sense delegation. I once heard a coworker say that she

didn’t want to educate her kids about sexuality because they would “become consumed by the

idea of sexual practice”. I think that is not true at all. When children have *proper* sexual

education they can be more mature, more aware, and less confused on the natural process that

someone undergoes sexually throughout life. I feel that by parents holding back on teaching their

children about sexuality, they are setting them up for harmful sexual practice and health in the

future.

In association with all of the reasons that parents should educate their child(ren) about

human sexuality stated above, I would like to point out some of the effects of not talking to you

child about sexual practices. The book, Human Sexuality: Making Informed Descisions written

by David Knox, states a survey was conducted that collected data from teenagers (ages 14-18)

across America and found that: “Male teenagers were more likely than female teenagers to talk

to their parents about how to use a condom (38% of males compared with 29% of females)”

(Knox and Milstein 2017, P. 18). That percentage is extremely low and could be a direct

contributor for the increased spread of STI’s and increased teen pregnancy rates within the

United States. This statistic shows how important the role of parent sexual education can be for

their child(ren).
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When/If I become a parent, I will be sure to educate my child about all the aspects to

human sexuality. Not only do I have a newfound appreciation for human sexuality since taking

certain college classes, but I find that my child would benefit heavily from having proper sexual

education. I want my child to feel comfortable and supported if he/she ever runs into a problem

and has to come to me for advice. To a greater extent, I feel that all future parents should feel the

need to educate their child at a young age to exercise safe sexual practices and proper human

health as they get older.

References

1. Knox, David, and Susan Milstein. Human Sexuality: Making Informed Decisions. BVT

Publishing, 2017.

*All names have been used with permission*