Me: "1 Billion Dollars for STD prevention? That's stimulus?"
Her: "Well yeah. Someone needs to get in there (the schools) with bananas and condoms, show those kids how to use them."
Me: "What?"
Her: "Abstinence only doesn't work. Educators need that money!"
Me: "They already get sex ed, at least at my kid's school. And what school teaches abstinence only?"
Her: "All of them!"
Me: "How many kids do you have? In school?"
Her: "None."
Me: "You might wanna check your facts instead of just believing some Planned Parenthood tripe. I can't speak for every public school, but my 7th grader has been force fed "safe sex" since 5th grade in a fairly conservative township. Abstinence is presented as just one way to avoid an STD and/or pregnancy. I can't believe the inner city is more conservative."
Her: "No, most schools teach abstinence only. They don't get the bananas in there, show kids how to put a condom on them."
Me: "There's a lot of room between abstinence and showing kids how to put on condoms. I don't want some stranger teaching my kid how to wear a condom. And what makes you think it is your right to decide what my kid does or doesn't learn about sex? Why do you think its the school's job to teach them? Isn't that my job as a parent?"
She shrugged.
Me: "You have an "alternate lifestyle." Do you want your kids going to a school that teaches everything you believe is wrong? That your abnormal? Is that the school's place?"
Her: "Sure. I wouldn't want my kids to be narrow minded."
The conversation ended.
So my question is to parents and former students out there....how does/did your school district handle sex education? How is/did it work(ing) for you? I received reproduction education in 7th and 8th grade, but nothing on STD or pregnancy prevention. They did talk about inappropriate touching but directed it more between adult and child.
With my kids, we've lived in three states since my oldest started school, and without exception they taught sex ed with abstinence as an option, but not the sole way to keep from getting pregnant. (My son wasn't getting it in the first school at all, too young, but all the older brothers and sisters of his friends did).