May 30, 2008

Teaching Parents How to Talk About Sex

A pilot sex-education program in Westford, Massachusetts, is teaching parents how to talk to their kids about sex, The Boston Globe reports (boston.com, 5/22).

According to the article, the Smart Sex Education Program is a voluntary five-week course aimed at combating the limited sex education provided in Massachusetts public schools. Without state funding, public school administrators and teachers have been forced to cut back on sex-ed programs or eliminate them altogether.

In addition to educating middle- and high schoolers about pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases like HIV, and the importance of healthy relationships, the program also holds seminars to teach parents how to talk to their kids about sexual issues.

“I think it’s a wonderful way to approach it,” participating Westford parent Angela C. Waszak told The Globe. “I want to be the information source [about sex]—not to have them hear it on the bus or from their friends. Once they know the facts, you can talk about values.”

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Previous Comments:

gail giffen, massachusetts, 2008-08-15 13:48:53
I am one of the sexuality educators for this program and thank you for helping to get our program information out into the community. We hope other programs will follow our example. Our goal is not only to educate teens, but to encourage them to learn their family values and open the communication with their parents or caregivers.

Judi Backof, Fort Pierce, FL, 2008-06-06 15:54:19
It is wonderful and sad at the same time. Wonderful that someone has stepped in to make sex a family-oriented issue. Sad that it has taken so long for someone to step in. Will someone please step up to educate other communities? Sometimes it feels like you are banging your head on a brick wall, but think about changing one person's feeling about someone who is HIV+. Keep up the good works.