Are Children Forced To Grow Up Too Fast These Days?

[renegadefm]

I'm certain children are forced to grow up too fast and too soon these days.

 

My 9 year old daughter is in her last week of her summer holidays, but she just blurted something out to me today when we went out for a walk. 

 

She said Dad do you know our teacher has been recently telling us all about sex education, and wet dreams, and even had women and mens private parts on a big tv screen?  Frankly I was speechless, I said how did you feel about it, she said well I felt it was inappropriate, as me and my friends was embarrassed to say the least.

 

Deep down I was fuming because as parents I didn't realise this was going on in children as young as 8 to 9.

 

My God when I was a child in the 70's, 80's,  sex was never mentioned at least until big school, certainly not primary school. 

 

Why are they forcing that onto children so young these days?

If my daughter feels its inappropriate surely it is. 

 

Isn't it? 

[Buenchico]

Let's get some factual information sorted out here before people start piling in with their views:

While primary schools are legally obliged to include Relationships Education within their curriculum, they're NOT obliged to teach Sex Education beyond what is required by Key Stage 2 of the Science element of the National Curriculum:
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/62cea352e90e071e789ea9bf/Relationships_Education_RSE_and_Health_Education.pdf

The statutory requirements of the Key Stage 2 Science curriculum for Year 5 pupils (9 to 10 year olds) simply state that:
"Pupils should be taught to . . . describe the life process of reproduction in some plants and animals."

The non-statutory guidance relating to that requirement says:
"Pupils should find out about different types of reproduction, including sexual and asexual reproduction in plants, and sexual reproduction in animals".
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a806ebd40f0b62305b8b1fa/PRIMARY_national_curriculum_-_Science.pdf

Anything which primary schools teach beyond those requirements is entirely optional and therefore likely to vary greatly between different schools.  (Indeed, I'd suggest that even where schools decide to stick to the minimum requirements of the National Curriculum, the interpretation of those requirements could vary a lot between individual schools).

[DDIL]

Good morning,

I am a child of the 70's and was taught sex education at primary school, we had a program called living and growing to accompany the lessons.

I thought they sent letters home giving parents the opportunity to 'opt out'?

[1ozzy]

Well, the sex education films the teachers forced us innocent children down under to watch during the 1970s was a film of kangaroos rooting.

Taught me so much😏

 

[DDIL]

As more and more girls are starting their periods at 9 (as reported recently in the National press) is it not a good idea that they are aware of the consequences?

[1ozzy]

Definitely so DDIL, if they breed like rabbits or kangaroos that would be  absolutely horrific and possibly destroy a young person's life

[10ClarionSt]

As I child of the 50's and 60's, we were never taught anything. At all. At any stage. Are we better adults because of that, or does the method today make any difference?

[1ozzy]

That's a very interesting question 10c,  may I reserve my judgement for another day?

[Cloverjo]

I don't think 9 is too young to know about these things. I remember having those lessons at that age in the 70s. It didn't corrupt me! 
Better to know what is happening to your body, and why, than have some horrible surprises. 

[Old_Geezer]

All pupils are likely to be embarrassed when sex ed begins, but doesn'tmean because some claim something feels inappropriate then that is what it is.

 

Obviously at what age the subject is broached is a matter of opinion. I was always of the opinion, even when I was in such a class, that big school was too late. I'd already found books at taught myself to the level discussed while in the last years of primary school.

 

However I'm fairly sure parents had been informed such classes were going to be taught beforehand.

 

As for growing up too fast, my concern would be that in certain aspects the young are being failed in teaching to grow up enough. Many are fine, but many others seem to have attitudes that suggest they can do what they want and everyone has to adjust to allow it.

[piggynose]

Well my school must've been backward. They never taught us about the birds and bees, I didn't get taught this until I was 17 and that was at day release college, in liberal studies, through fairly graphic videos! And cuz we were all boys it was all one big joke !! 

[sddsddean]

On a lighter note...everything you need to know!

[barry1010]

My parents taught me in a straightforward way in stages as I was growing up simply by answering my questions honestly. There was no embarrassing chats or big revelations, no shocks.

We were the same with our children. We didn't want them believing a load of stupid playground nonsense that could get them in to trouble or give them nightmares.

 

[bednobs]

I find it odd your school didn't tell you. Ours provided an open evening where the material that was going to be used was shared with the parents. This was from about 8 onwards, year five. The secondary school also informed us they were having a person in to talk about fgm. This have me the opportunity to discuss with my daughter first

[Peter Pedant]

Thanks Chris for a timely intervention  - as a nother mod might quip - all done with super -fast googling !

No - it is clear that adolescence and adolesccent behaviour ( even in sex) has broken the 20 barrier ( 20 y of age that is !) and is heading for the thirties. ( stay at home and no house MAY contribute - [or be a confounding factor: sozza sozza far too technical for AB])

Marauding gangs of orphans fending for themselves were common in Europe 1945 and were seen by all the sericemen. It was obvious that they cd exist independently

This week there has been letters in the Times about seven and eight year old taking buses and trains in the fifties and sixties ( dont they now? nope apparently not).

In the 60s 90% of children's playtime was unsupervised. By 2000 90% of children play under the eye of an adult.

so I dont think the thesis holds

 

 

[sandyRoe]

If children have mobile phones they would have access to pornography.  

Education could show them there's more to intimacy than what they might see on PornHub or the like.

[davebro3]

I sometimes wish I'd had it at school!

(my physics teacher - Mrs Skull - was a dish)

[Peter Pedant]

Definitely so DDIL, if they breed like rabbits or kangaroos that would be  absolutely horrific

The children  ae menstruating earlier - usually put down to phyto-oestrogens

( screams of "what dat den" from ABers and " how unmimsy ,bad poster !" from sundry mods.)

It appears that phytoestrogens, phthalates, and phenols all affect the timing of puberty, thelache, and menarche, leading to precocious puberty.

( screams of "what dat den" from ABers and " how unmimsy ,bad poster !" from sundry mods.)

I must say that if I saw a pregnant 9 or 10 yr old I wd inform the social, - along with the GP and antenatal clinic ( not acting in child's interests)

s1 of Children Act 1989

( screams of "what dat den" from ABers and " how unmimsy ,bad poster !" from sundry mods.)

[barry1010]

The youngest girl to give birth in the UK was 11. Nasty case, she had been raped by her 16 year old brother.

Young children do need to know what is going on with their bodies, they need to understand appropriate behaviour and they need to know they can talk to an adult about anything 

 

[davebro3]

BUT - (just askin') with all this education etc. is child pregnancy/sexual deviation less now than it was?

I don't recall 12/13/14 year old boys gang raping girls when I was that age.

[bednobs]

i dont recall 12 yo boys gang raping girls when im today years old though!