Even Parents need Sex Education

There was a big issue at the start of the school year when the Department of Education (DepEd) informed the public that it will incorporate sex education in the curricula of elementary and high school students. A case was filed by a group of parents arguing that said module strips them of their rights of being parents to their children. It further argues that educating children about sex is the responsibility of the parents.

The Catholic Church, on the other hand, criticizes the government. Value formation should be the focus of education in the early stages of child development and not promiscuity, the church said. Nobody can argue with that but is the sex education the department is pushing actually teaches sex acts? Education officials denied that. I believe education should provide a holistic development of the child/person. Thus, all areas that will promote and make a person an asset of the society will be tackled in his growing up.

I went to public school during my elementary years; attended a school run by nuns during my secondary education and finally attended a Catholic Diocesan-owned school in college. Never in my early formation was there a comprehensive teaching about reproductive health. But I am certain we never lack value formation lessons and activities in school and in our home.

Surely, we were taught about hygiene particularly the girls. I can only remember my elementary teacher telling my female classmates that it’s important to change their underwear twice daily. And nothing else except of the usual you should take a bath daily, brush your teeth regularly, washing your hands frequently and so forth. Nothing more about sexuality. You face something sexually-related topic when you discuss the reproductive system of the body. But even teachers are ashamed to say the word “vagina” and “penis”.

Students are kind of more aware of how plants and animals reproduce. We even memorized the many terms associated with them so we can get good score during science exams. But not on how children came to earth.

Did we discuss about reproductive health hazards in school? I can’t remember. Did we discuss about AIDS? One time, perhaps, and we even consider HIV as AIDS. Did we learn straight from our teachers’ or parents’ mouth how children were created? Never. Often, we heard them explain, you were created by love of your parents. You were created in the image and likeness of God, the Church taught us.

Of course, we are created by the hand of God and we are the product of our parents love and sex drive. But does loving a person get the woman preggy? This left us wondering. The dad’s sperm-entering-mama’s vagina-and-fertilizing-her-egg explanation left many confused. Many even believe that if their private parts are touched, they are kissed on their lips by the opposite sex, they will get pregnant. They thought of these because they are uninformed.

Many Filipino parents are still ashamed to talk about the realm of sexuality with their children. We learned about sex and the perils of engaging in it early through reading materials found in books, magazines, novels, comics, and internet. We saw a sexual act on TV after sneaking on the x-rated collection of our friends’ parents and plugging it in the VHS player. (Wala kaming TV dati kaya doon sa bahay ng classmate ko kami nanood after we skip our afternoon Home Economics class.)

Children of this generation have more access to vast information sources in the fast evolving media. The internet is host to many of these materials. They also have easy access to the many sex-related DVDs being peddled on the streets. The youth are creative in ferreting sources to satisfy their curiosity. FHM, Cosmopolitan and Playboy Philippines magazines educate the youth.

Sex education in school will not feed nor fire up their curiosity. It will make them well informed of the pros and cons of their sexual actions. It would even help them become more wary of the consequences of early pregnancy. It will even cause them to fear the perils of sexual encounters.

Value formation activities and sex education should go hand-in-hand in the early formative years of the children. If we can inculcate strong values on them, I don’t think we are leading them wrongly in their sexual growth.

An informed child will have a sound decision. Sex education will be their guide for an informed take on their sexuality.

Many parents should attend sex education classes. Many of them think the proposed sex education module is about teaching their children how to have sex and how to perform the Kamasutra, a manifestation of how uninformed they are.

Ang dami na ngayon malilibog na mga bata. They are showing it publicly than the generation ahead of them. Look around and you’ll find an ample supply of sex scandals starred by students. Madali lang kasi ngayon sa kanila ang maglandi having internet and cellular phones in their disposal. Dati you need stationeries to write love letters, ngayon pa-jejemon jejemon ka na lang para di mahuli by the suspecting parents.

I believe with sex education in school, they will know and wait at a proper time to engage in sexual activities. Kung makati na talaga at kailangan na ipakamot, well, they at least have the proper knowledge on how to deal with it. It is more worrisome when they are into doing it without receiving proper guidance.

I also believe that with this module in school, children and parents will open up to discussing it at home. This will also give a hint then to the parents on how mature their children are in terms of their sexuality. Parents can always infuse values education and warn them of its hazards while discussing the subject with their children.