In an earlier post I talked about why I think sex education is an important, healthy topic for Christian families to discuss.
However, it’s also something that we find difficult to discuss, for various reasons. I’ve outlined a list of the most common challenges I can think of when bringing up the subject of Christian sex education:
Challenge 1: We’ve made too many mistakes.
Too often, we may feel the least qualified to teach our children about sex – maybe because of past mistakes in our own lives.
Maybe ours is not the picture-perfect family who looks like they have it all together.
Maybe our brokenness is more obvious than we’d like, as we still bear the scars and wounds from previous failed relationships.
Challenge 2: We think our children aren’t ready.
I really sympathize with this challenge. It’s so tempting, in a very scary world, to try to take refuge in a Christian “bubble” and let our kids be kids for as long as possible.
In previous generations, this would probably be easier to do. But in a day and age where the average age of a child’s first exposure to porn is trending lower and lower (this site has found exposure happens even among 3-year-olds), this is becoming downright impossible.
Because of this reality, I think we can never start too early in educating our children about sex. Even toddlers can be taught that they have a “Self Space” and that no one outside their trusted family should be touching their private parts.
(BONUS: This book, “God Made All Of Me,” is an excellent resource aimed for children 3-7 years.)
Challenge 3: We feel embarrassed or ashamed of the subject matter.
This could be related to Challenge 1, but it could also be its own independent challenge too! Sometimes we were just brought up in a household that didn’t discuss body functions, and so we can’t teach something that wasn’t easily modeled for us.
Fortunately for me, my mom was a doctor, so she had no problems whatsoever in frankly discussing body functions with us – including puberty, excretory systems, hormones, and so forth.
In fact, she thought it was a reflection of the wonderful way God designed our bodies!
Even secular news outlets recognize the importance of sex education:
It’s normal to feel nervous about talking to your kids about sex and relationships. But sex education is education—and if you’re braving math, science, and history to help your kid with their studies, you should do the same for sex ed. Sex education is more than telling your kids about their reproductive organs—it teaches a set of life skills that include navigating relationships, advocating for your boundaries, and effective communication, in addition to reproductive and sexual health.”
https://rewirenewsgroup.com/article/2020/03/23/are-you-home-schooling-your-kids-dont-forget-sex-education/
Are there any other challenges you can think of when you consider sex education for your children? Let me know in the comments or in a private message!
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