So, I found this story on the newswires: 

Sex Ed Can Help Prevent Teen Pregnancy

Comprehensive sex education may help reduce teen pregnancies without increasing levels of sexual intercourse or sexually transmitted diseases.

So find U.S. researchers who reviewed data from a 2002 national survey of more than 1,700 heterosexual teens, ages 15 to 19. 

The findings, published in the April issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, support comprehensive sex education, concluded Pamela Kohler, the study’s lead author.  “There was no evidence to suggest that abstinence-only education decreased the likelihood of ever having sex or getting pregnant,” she said in a prepared statement.

This study offers “further compelling evidence” about the value of comprehensive sex education and the “ineffectiveness” of the abstinence-only approach, said Don Operario, a sex education expert and professor at Oxford University in England.

And here’s my take:

My daughter, Freckles, is in fifth grade, although she’s only 10, and she recently brought home a notice from school that they’re going to be learning about the changes the body undergoes during puberty - in other words, sex ed.  They’ll be separating the boys and the girls and showing them each different movies, which we as parents are invited to preview.  We are also allowed to opt our kids out of this program entirely.

I plan to preview the movie but mostly to prepare my daughter in case I need to.  I absolutely do not intend to opt her out of sex ed. 

In fact, I’ve been talking to my kids about sex fairly openly and pretty honestly for a long time - in terms and using concepts that are age appropriate.  Mostly this results in a lot of giggling on their part and a lot of blushing on my part.  But, I think it’s important.  Especially since Freckles has been bringing home ideas and terms that she’s picked up from friends who clearly have not been talking to their parents - or to anybody who knows anything.

So, like it or not, they’re hearing about sex whether from friends, videos, commercials, TV shows, the internet or pop music.  Best to get correct information in my opinion.  I honestly don’t know if it will help my kids avoid becoming a teen pregnancy stat, but for sure it can’t hurt.

What do you think?

• 	Posted by: Sarit Catz | 4 Comment(s)
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Last week, my fifth grade daughter, Freckles, got a homework assignment to research proteins on the internet and write a couple of paragraphs about them.  It was due the next day.

This doesn’t seem like a big deal, right?  Well, here’s my problem with it…. (I seem to have problems with a lot of things, don’t I?)

I don’t let my kids on the internet without me and I had a boatload of my own work I had to do including going into NYC to teach a night class.  This homework assignment falls into the category I call “family homework.”  And I don’t think it’s fair to give me only one night to help her with it.

Freckles has a computer in her room but it’s not hooked up to the internet because I don’t want psychos chatting with my kids.  I don’t want my kids chatting with psychos.  In fact, I don’t want my kids chatting with anyone.

One time, a bunch of years ago, I went into an AOL chat room and about two seconds later I started getting all kinds of disgusting e-mails, messages, pictures and links.  Now, the technology may have changed since then and there may be all kinds of filters and firewalls and protections in place.  But there may also be ways these wackos have found to get around them.  I’d bet on it.

Also, who knows what the kids will google.  The internet is a big scary place filled with all kinds of inappropriate and fantastic stuff.  I think kids need guidance to navigate that mix.  I don’t know how old I’ll want my kids to be before I let them go on the internet by themselves.  But I’m pretty sure 10 is too young.

Am I out of line?

• 	Posted by: Sarit Catz | 6 Comment(s)
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This week at my kids’ elementary school it’s Red Ribbon Week.  What does that mean?  Well, this week the school presents programs designed to keep the kids from drinking, smoking and doing drugs. 

It’s never too young to start, of course, but at the elementary school level, this is a challenging proposition.  We’re talking about suburban kids fifth grade and under.  Really, how do you get kids whose friends are probably not drinking, smoking and doing drugs to understand how bad these things can be?

The school has an assembly in which a robot talks about taking care of your #1 machine, your body.  They also have the kids sign a pledge and they give out some red pencils.  Actually, you only get the pencils if you buy them for your kids.  I feel like every time I turn around the school is asking me for a check so I didn’t buy the pencils this year because my kids have forests worth of pencils already and to tell you the truth, I don’t know how a pencil is going to convince them not to engage in this self-destructive behavior.

So, on my own, I have come up with what I think is a virtually fool proof way to scare my kids off drinking, smoking and doing drugs.  A picture’s worth a thousand words…

…and about 3,000 pencils!                   (Getty Images)

• 	Posted by: Sarit Catz | 4 Comment(s)
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So, last night was “Back to School” night at my kids’ school which, in my town, is when the parents go in and meet the teachers and see the kids’ classrooms and listen to the PTO President talk about the wrapping paper fundraiser, the coupon book fundraiser, the bingo fundraiser, the raffle fundraiser, the movie night fundraiser…

Anyway, my kids are back in school.  Woo hoo!  One thing my daughter, Freckles, is working on in school is a “What I Did Last Summer” multi-media presentation.  She took a disk to school on Monday with digital pictures of the highlights of her summer.  These included a bunch from a weeklong trip Freckles, her younger brother, Tank, my dad and I took to Washington, D.C.

(More…)

• 	Posted by: Sarit Catz | 1 Comment(s)
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