Sex education is an important process in an education and family setting as it aims at creating awareness among children on the best way to cope with issues and practices related to sex. I believe that knowledge in sex education empowers an individual and in this case a child thus giving him or her ability to make appropriate decisions in regard to future sexual practices.
The responsibility of teaching children about sex should assume multiple dimensions. It should not be limited to a single individual or entity. The most suitable persons to deliver such education are parents and teachers. The reasons why such persons are fronted as most suitable is their closeness to children as evident in their ability to recognize their growth and development. A parent understands a child better than any other person as he or she is present during birth all through the numerous developmental processes. As a child begins to experience changes in his or her body it is far much easier for a parent to notice such changes in comparison to other members of the society such as a teacher. This is attributed to their proximity and closeness.
A parent’s concern is the well being of a child thus the need to offer appropriate orientation in reference to sexual development; this is achieved in an environment characterized by love and care. In as much as sex education contributes to the well being of a child it is necessary to appreciate the impact of love, care and support in streamlining the sex thoughts, ideologies and practices of a child.
The most outstanding reason why parents are better placed to teach sex to children is the possibility of existence of points of similarities between their own sexual development experiences and those of their children as a result of similarities in genetic make up. This makes it easier for them to understand their needs and fears.
A number of ideologies put forth suggest that teachers are capable of imparting knowledge on sex upon children especially as a result of relative openness between the two parties furthermore they spend a lot of time together. I however disagree with such a notion as the degree of love, care and understanding offered by teachers differs significantly from parents.
The best way to prepare parents to talk to children about sex education is to make them explore and analyze their own attitudes thus avoiding the possibility of discomfort when discussing the subject. The reason is that children who come from homes where openness exists as a mode of interaction eventually turn out to be more cautious in their sex life. There is need for parents to initiate sex education at an earlier age thus avoiding complications that may arise due to the disruption of age. An illustration is creating awareness in children about their sexual organs at a tender thus making it easier for them to differentiate between male and female features. This is an important concept in sex education.
A parent should always provide accurate information to a child despite the likelihood of feelings of discomfort as it eventually leads to physical and psychological development. The criterion for determining whether the information provided is appropriate is through incorporation of the age of a child when disseminating information on sex education. The final strategy likely to impact on a child’s sex knowledge is the ability of a parent to impart sex values on a child. The extent in which a child assimilates and synthesizes sex education determines his survival in a world characterized by deficiencies in appropriate sex practices.