LETTER: Sex ed helps parents

To the editor:

    I picked up the student paper on Wednesday, and flipped over the comics section in the back.  On the way, I passed by the Letters to the Editor page and caught the following headline: “Parents have responsibility.”

    “I sure hope so,” I thought to myself. “But what kind of responsibility?”

     Turns out this letter was in response to an earlier opinion column about comprehensive sex education. It took me on a trip down memory lane to all the way back to Monday when, once again trying to get to the comics page, I was stopped by the headline about comprehensive sex ed.  “Excellent, more opinions about sex ed!” I thought to myself, eagerly reading more.

     The letter’s author compared getting an STD from lack of information on sex to getting fat from eating too many Twinkies fried in oil every day. Thing is, eating a Twinkie won’t make you fat if you only do it once, but having sex for the first time without being informed about protecting yourself could result in pregnancy or the contraction of an STD.  But, he/she says, you should just keep your pants zipped, no information needed. 

    Sometimes I have to unzip my pants to take them off before I go to bed or shower.  I sure hope I don’t get pregnant. How would I protect myself from that? I have no idea. I continued reading.  Turns out that the government has no place in teaching children how to deal with their growing bodies, that’s the parent’s job.

     I don’t know about you, but my mom’s version of the sex talk was saying “you know, I got my first period when I was 12.”  I was 11.  I’m married now, and I’m still not sure what to do. Will you start an open and frank conversation with your 11-year-old about sex? Or will you do what my mom did, and uncomfortably mention puberty in a non sequitur fashion? 

    If you really want to take the perogative to be the sole provider of this vital information to your child, you can either deny permission that your child be taught this during the sex ed section of health class, or you can home school your child entirely so that the government doesn’t get involved in anything regarding your child’s education. It’s your choice.

Teresa Allpress