Somehow the permission slip missed my hands,and my kids missed the sex ed class(they are one grade apart). When I had sex ed in school, the videos that were shown were very helpful to me in learning about this sensitive subject. I talk to them and try to explain as much as I can but they really dont get it all (no diagrams and such)Any suggestions of how I can properly teach them so they know what's going on before they experience it in the real world?
Contact a nearby youth organization, clinic, nonpofit & see if they host any classes. And you can also ask you doctor, well their doctor. Good luck :-)
The library has books that explain everything they need to know. Both my girls said they didn't learn anything new from sex Ed since we had been talking about the human body, where babies come from, etc for years.
You might let the school know what happened, and perhaps they would allow you to 'borrow' some of their materials? You do not state the ages of your kids, but I am sure a google search and/or a trip to the library (librarians can be great resources for age appropriate materials).
My kids are all over 18 now..but the "sexuality talks" continue, even to this day because we have always treated it as a topic open for discussion from the age they could talk.
Best luck!
Go to the library and check out (or go on Amazon and purchase) a book called It's Perfectly Normal (appropriate for ages 10 and up). For younger kids, a book called It's Not The Stork is a great place to start. For high schoolers, Changing Bodies, Changing Lives is also an excellent resource. For girls, American Girl has a personal health/body changes/hygiene book called The Care and Keeping of You.
don't sit them down and 'properly teach' them. awkward.
talk to the librarian and get them some good books. keep the dialogue open and ongoing and light. take opportunities when watching tv together or from conversations that arise to ask them what they know about contraception or venereal diseases or conception.
our best conversations took place when we were driving together. something about the car allows for brilliant discussions.
it's not a one-time thing. it's lifelong parenting.
open the door and them take steps through it at their own pace.
khairete
S.
The school should have links/materials for you. My kids came home with booklets which essentially was all they covered. So I'm sure you could ask and they would provide you with them. Then I'd just go over it with them.
There's always the library. I'd already covered it with my kids ahead of time with a book I'd bought for our home library.
If they are a year apart then your daughter already had the class last year and your son will have another opportunity next year.
There are some great books out there. Check out the website amightygirl.com. They have a great list of books covering that topic that are appropriate for both boys and girls.
We have an app on our iPads called My Incredible Body. It has information about all of the body systems including the reproductive system. It is actually really good. It includes videos and audio that describe the diagrams. I would suggest going through it with your kids the first time.
One of the most underutilized resources in any community is the library and its trained librarians. Most have expanded offerings because they are part of a network, so even if a particular book or DVD isn't on the shelves, it can often be borrowed from another library (and picked up/dropped off at your local branch).
Get a super comprehensive book for yourself (like "Our Bodies, Ourselves" - a classic), and then several age appropriate books for the kids. Some you can read with them, others you should leave in their rooms and let them explore on their own. And then give it a rest, then reintroduce it again in a few months - this should be part of an ongoing conversation
over the course of years. They also need to learn the real names/words as well as the slang.
If you haven't already, introduce the subject of privacy in bedrooms and bathrooms. And a good place to talk is the car - kids will listen/talk sometimes if they don't have to make eye contact with Mom/Dad, and if they can't get out of the room like they could at home!
And do find out from the school if this will be repeated. It shouldn't be a one-day deal there either.
Check your school district's website. We were given the opportunity to review the videos on the district site. I honestly was surprised at how vague they were, at least for boys. Our son's was mostly about some boys being taller/shorter and telling them ways to stop being so stinky (take your showers, brush your teeth, etc.). No sex ed at all. Nothing like what I saw at school in the 70s. Our daughter sees the girl version this year and I'm hoping it gives more information than the boys'. She's already had "the talk" and has the popular American Girls "growing up" book, but it's always good to have different sources.
Local Children's Hospital's usually have a sex ed class taught for parents AND teens to go to.
Your daughter is a teen and your boy is a pre-teen. I should hope that you have been talking to them about sex for a LONG time. I bet your kids "get it" better then you think.
L.
Call your local Planned Parenthood and speak to someone in the education department. They will be a tremendous help.
I would go to the library.
Find a movie that explains it to them
Ask your school about borrowing the materials and go over it with your kids at home. Ours offers them to parents in advance if they want to prescreen, so it seems reasonable to have them available to you after the fact.
In our school system - the forms that are handed out are for exemption.
The kids will have the class unless the parents sign the form saying the DON'T want their kids to participate in that class.
Don't worry.
They cover this stuff every year with more age appropriate details as they get older.
The school nurse is a great resource. My daughter in law is a grade school nurse. Just this month they had the sex ed class. The male gym teacher does the class with the boys and the nurse does the class with the girls. I would start there.
