Skip to main content

I Wonder....


This is the first year the state of North Carolina did not teach abstinence only as the only form of birth control. Unfortunately, this year’s class was only a week long. Boys and girls separated. Classes of 50 students each. No anonymous question box. No question and answer period. No risk-taking in the classroom on the part of the students. Very different from the way I used to teach it. Just the delivery of information the way the state wrote it.

While I applaud the fact that NC is facing the fact that kids are having sex, education needs to go further. I heard rumor that FOUR girls in our middle school are pregnant. Will a more open, intensive sex education program make a difference for these girls? Whether it is a home or school, it is time for frank, open discussions about sex and what it means.

Pregnancy is only one result of sex. I wonder how many are sexually active and not pregnant? How many are carrying and sharing hidden STDs that have yet to show themselves? How many think sex is the only way to be ‘loved’ from another person? What is the age difference between the boy and the girl? In the cases I know about, the boys are older. The girls are the ones on my mind right now. How to we teach them that they have value? That love is more than an act in the heat of passion? That a baby will change their lives forever – regardless of whether they choose adoption, abortion, or to keep it?

I have been cautioned repeatedly about letting students read books in which the characters are having sex. (Of course, I throw caution to the wind and keep them on my bookshelves.) We want our children to keep their innocence as long as possible. Therefore, we aren’t supposed talk about the things that might taint them – sex, drugs, gangs, etc… However, they are talking about it amongst themselves.

I believe it is time for the adults in their lives (parents, teachers, etc) to have matter-of-fact honest discussions with them. Will these discussions have an impact on the choices kids make? Maybe not, but at least they know two things: 1) accurate information, and 2) someone cares enough to give them the information.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Aging sucks.....or does it?

Upon first thought, watching a parent age sucks. Unnoticeable at first. A bit of a stoop, some creaking in the knees, whitening of the hair. The doctor’s visits begin, as do the pills One for high blood pressure, another to thin the blood, and a handful of vitamins to top it off. The signs are there, but it is easier to see him as he has always been. My father, a pillar of strength. Until my pillar was knocked off-kilter. A simple surgery and the mortality of my father looked me square in the eye when the drugs took hold of his brain. Amidst his fidgeting and confusion, I realized…AGING SUCKS! And then….enlightenment dawned upon me….AGING IS BEAUTIFUL Wrinkles tell of smiles while silver hair speaks a life of memories. Knees creaky after years of kneeling in prayer, offering up a lap, and climbing up the stairs for one more kiss goodnight. Almost forty-eight years of memories nestled in my heart. Memories of my father. Taking us to church each Sunday Building and fixing ...
2 comments
Read more

The Challenge of Five

Living alone is easy. Add one more person to the equation and it becomes a bit more challenging – especially when that person is a 13 year old. But in time, we figured it out. Somewhere in there, Beatrice joined us. With Thanksgiving came the joy of the five of us together for the week. And then reality set in as Tony and Sana began their trek back to New Hampshire. Our household of two was now a household of three as Sean made himself a home with us.   For the first five years of Sean’s life it was just he and I. How difficult could it be to have my 22-year-old son living with me again? A mother couldn’t ask for a better son. He is loving, kind, intelligent, and hard-working. He has grown into a fine young man who has lived on his own for the past three years. He has his own way of doing things.   I have my way of doing things. Needless to say, the two clash a bit. I tend to go with the flow and do things (supper, adventures, etc) as the mood strikes. He likes to plan eve...
2 comments
Read more

I Got the Call!

I began the day a bit down in the dumps. (As is very evident from the earlier blog entry of the day.) I was missing my family. Wondering about the risk we took. Uncertain how it would all work out. My brother, Jamie, insisted that Patti and I join his family for a Braves game. He bought us $1 tickets and told us to get to Turner Field. The great thing about Atlanta Braves games on a hot Sunday afternoon is that the turn-out is not very good. We followed Jamie toward his seats on the third base line and sat in a couple of empty ones about 20 rows back. By the end of the game, I was in the first row! Apparently it was too hot for many of the fans. The Braves trounced the Dodgers, 13-1. (Newly added to my bucket list: get to as many of the major league baseball parks as possible. I have been to three this summer alone!) Upon returning ‘home’ I decided to check out the possibility of more jobs. Curiosity led me to Manchester’s website. (Manchester is about 30 minutes away from whe...
3 comments
Read more