Teach your kids sex ed early

[piercehawkeye45]

Originally Posted by Pie

I would argue that many parents do "inform" their children -- and those same children believe (as SG did) that it won't happen to them. Teen pregnancy rates are down from the levels they achieved in the 1950s, and now we are no longer focusing on the low-hanging fruit (if you will) of kids who listen and understand the first time. Tell 'em, keep telling 'em, and test them occasionally. Then, maybe, just maybe, they'll get it.

Yes, many parents do inform their kids about safe sex, mine did, and I have had no problems in that area. But that isn't my point. My point is that STDs should be treated as a social problem and public schools should do what they can to help further lower STD and pregnancy rates. This is because even no matter how well a parent teaches their kids about safe sex, it only takes one mistake. A 99.9% record of not making dumb decisions means absolutely nothing if someone gets pregnant or picks up an STD during that 0.1%. I can say from personal experience that dumb decisions are easy to make when you are drunk and being pushed into something, especially for teenagers.

While I personally will guarantee that my potential future children will learn about safe sex and the consequences of unprotected sex, I would feel better if schools joined in as well since I will not know who is raising the kids that my kids may sleep with. Also, even with using precautionary measures, condoms do break, boy/girlfriends cheat, and some STDs can even be transferred through oral sex. So even if the chances of school taught safe sex having an impact is small, for me, it would still be worth it.

Originally Posted by classicman

Kids think they are invincible and bad things only happen to other people.

Well this mindset arises from the fact that many of these kids are pampered throughout their childhood. I never really had that mindset, but I also learned consequences from my actions early on. But yet, even without that invincible mindset, mistakes, bad decisions, and bad luck can still occur.