Shouild Same-Sex Parents Be Featured In School Books?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10171005/Same-sex-parents-should-be-featured-in-school-books.html

Would this type of thing be beneficial to children as young as five, or only create confusion?

[anneasquith]

at 5 years old................pc gone mad.

[mccfluff]

how can you possible guarantee that?

[jim360]

Might it not depend on what the children were told a wedding was? It might be better to perform the test: tell a child a wedding is where a man and women marry,and tell another one a wedding is where two people who are in love marry, and see what the two children then draw.

[Zeuhl]

/So some think that children as young as five understand about gay relationships? absolute Poppy-Cock./

and to what extent do children as young as five understand hetero relationships aog?

is that really the best criterion?

[Booldawg]

'Ask a group of children to draw a wedding, and I would guarantee that none would drawn a same sex couple walking down the Church Aisle together'

Which is probably why the education system feels its time for a change. Conditioning. Same sex parenting is very much part of todays society, and should be inclusive.

[grasscarp]

I am thinking of my 4.5 year old grandson. Way too soon for him.

[Baldric]

Betcha these two wouldn't aog!

[ummmm]

AOG //So some think that children as young as five understand about gay relationships? absolute Poppy-Cock.//

They don't need to understand about a gay relationships. They don't need to understand about any sort a relationship between adults. They will just see in the a few books that it's not always men and women that get married. That just happens to be a fact of life...

[Baldric]

I'll try that link again,

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2332669/Sir-Elton-John-David-Furnish-jet-family-holiday-Venice-sons-Zachary-Elijah.html

[maggiebee]

Just a passing thought - are there gays in any other species of animal - dogs, cats, pigs, elephants etc? They obviously can't adopt so would the species die out? Not looking for an argument, just pondering.

[ummmm]

Maggie - yes there are.

[Mamyalynne]

I do not think it is expecting any child to understand the complexities of the relationships, rather see them as nothing untoward.

Example.

Book features children coming down to breakfast and there are either two men or two women in the kitchen, some children may well not comment at all , others may ask 'why is there not a mum and dad in that family' , then any questions can be approached. It is largely a matter of common sense and the child will guide you by asking when they need to know more.

[ummmm]

And obviously a species will not die out while there are 'straight' animals that reproduce.

[jim360]

Homosexual behaviour in animals in well-documented, maggiebee. There is some debate as to what meanings, if any, these relationships carry. There's a level at which we might just be looking for meaning where there is none. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexual_behavior_in_animals

[B00]

My 8 year old knows that sometimes men fall in love with men and woman with women and therefore marry just like her mum and dad have.

She doesn't think this is strange, odd or anything out of ordinary, in fact it quickly got as forgotten as everything else as it doesn't feature Monster High dolls. The topic got a "meh! Boring!, next topic" look off her.

[horseshoes]

At the age of 5 one of my school books had this poem;

Robin and Richard
Were two pretty men;
They stayed in bed
Till the clock struck ten.
Then up starts Robin
And looks at the sky:
"Oh, look Richard,
The sun's very high.
You go before
With the bottle and bag,
And I will come after
On little Jack nag.

This was in 1959 so nothing new.

[maggiebee]

Thanks for the link jim360, will have a look.

[Sqad]

Why would a children's book illustrate same sex parents, other than to be controversial?

[jno]

Can you imagine if Peppa and George's parents were daddy and daddy pig?

And, er, how exactly would you know? And how would your children know

[Zeuhl]

/Why would a children's book illustrate same sex parents, other than to be controversial?/

to be educational perhaps?