Hi and welcome to “Amazing Me.’ I have had quite a few people sign up to my blog lately so I thought that I’d quickly introduce myself. My name is Rowena and before COVID-19 I was teaching workshops for over 25 years to parents, educators and their children about sex, puberty, child protection, pornography and more, because sex education is not just about the one thing right? We are born as sexual beings so it starts from birth. Sex Education is Like a Pizza.
Sex is so much more than you might think. Yes, it does include anatomy and reproductive health, but it’s also about our values, attitudes, feelings, interactions and behaviours. Therefore, it is emotional, social, cultural, spiritual and physical. Research suggests that all of these things are required for a healthy, fulfilling relationship. I am passionate about what I do and believe that if we start conversations at an early age, about tough topics like this, then age appropriate, gentle conversations can be a normal part of life. I have three adult children of my own who have been my biggest education yet when it comes to talking about sex, so I know how you feel. It can be really daunting sometimes.
Recently I posted about holistic sex education being like a pizza. If you make your child eat the whole pizza at once not only will you have digestive problems but you won’t truly value, recognise, realise, know, appreciate or fully enjoy what you are eating. That’s like talking to your children about sex. When we think about sex education we often just think about that ‘one talk’ -like shoving a whole pizza down their throats all at once! It’s just not good for them and they may not be able to digest it all. If you eat a pizza well, it’s one piece at a time and it’s a positive experience. Just like a pizza is made up of different parts, so it is being human and an important part of being human is our sexuality.
It’s important for your children to hear from you over their lifetime that sex can be positive. Your body language, the approachable you and the example that you are, all combine to empower your child. Even if you have certain ideas, beliefs, values or faith – you can incorporate all of this into your conversations.
We often teach our children the fear of sex, predators, STDs, early pregnancy and stranger danger, which is very important, but we often do not celebrate reproduction, bodies with their differences and similarities, feelings, intimacy and relationships.
So let’s think about how we as parents can educate our children in an age appropriate way, in bite sized pieces, in the everyday opportunities of life before google, pornography or someone else does.
