I guess I also have to be the scrooge here and say that when I was 12, sex was neither the "furthest thing from my mind" nor was I only concerned with playing with my friends -- and most 12-year-olds aren't solely preoccupied with that either. Age 12 is pretty squarely in puberty, and 12-year-olds are supposed to be curious about sexuality. They're changing -- emotionally, physically, chemically, and mentally -- and it's an age where questions about sexuality come up frequently particularly considering that their physical bodies are changing. At age 12 I was growing breasts, pubic hair and getting my period. Of course I was curious at sex, and 12-year-olds now are too.
The problem isn't the children's curiosity about sex -- it's the lack of knowledge that they're being provided with about the sex. Sure some of the children make bad decisions, but a lot of that is predicated on sheer ignorance, particularly in the U.S. with conservatism reigning and abstinence-only sex education programs being promoted. A lot of kids in their early teens don't feel comfortable asking questions about sexuality and aren't equipped with the knowledge they need to have safe sex or to abstain.
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Date: 2007-06-01 04:53 am (UTC)The problem isn't the children's curiosity about sex -- it's the lack of knowledge that they're being provided with about the sex. Sure some of the children make bad decisions, but a lot of that is predicated on sheer ignorance, particularly in the U.S. with conservatism reigning and abstinence-only sex education programs being promoted. A lot of kids in their early teens don't feel comfortable asking questions about sexuality and aren't equipped with the knowledge they need to have safe sex or to abstain.
*gets off soapbox*