tagReviews & EssaysLet's Talk About Sex  Let's Talk About Sex
My son asked me this week, "Mom, is sex a bad word?" Apparently,
he was trying to tell someone at school how the baby got into
mommy's tummy, and the teacher didn't appreciate the impromptu
sex education lesson from my seven-year-old! I tried to explain
why the teacher had told him "Not to say that in school," that
often people get embarrassed when you talk about sex, and think
that younger kids shouldn't know anything about it. ("But why?"
Dang... that's the hardest question kids ever ask!) We talked
about where it is and isn't appropriate to talk about certain
things. Then, ironically, as my 1st grader is relaying this
story over a cheese and crackers snack, my 5th grader chimes in
and says, "We're learning about sex this year in school." So
what's the difference? When is it ok for a child to know about
reproduction? When they're old enough to know better than to
talk about it in public?  I've been open with my kids about sex
since they were ve