Adults take pains to stash away stuff related to it while curious teenaged minds actively seeks out the hidden truth. Does evasion of discussions on sex really protect teenagers, or is baring the truth a surer means of protection? 4 Gals N Boys gives it a though.
"Sex" is a dirty word. That's what I thought at the age when Mickey Mouse was the love of my life and Wonder Woman my greatest idol. Then, any question I dared ask about the "S" word would bring on shocked and foreboding looks. The only audible response I did get was from my randaunties, who with a disdainful flick of their heart-shaped straw fans, would promptly dismiss my queries with a spirited "SHUSH!!!" I remember feeling a tad disappointed, but remained undeterred in my quest to decode the mystery to adulthood. I proceeded then in secret to Plan B. Armed with Dad's complete Wagnulls Encyclopedia, I peeled the paes to a world of discovery on taboo words like virgin, pornography, abortion and of course, sex. Armed with forbidden knowledge, I felt invincible... like Wonder Woman. As I grew older and started school, I began to learn the art of discernment; that there are shades of grey in this world we live in and that there's always a bigger picture to anything. Along with that came the realization that what I had read about the so-called "dirty words" were merely their definitions in encyclopedias. I realized that there was a deeper significance to these sensitive topics, both socially and personally. My wiser frame of mind unfortunately did not deter my parents or teachers from their "protective" stance.
Talking about the birds and the bees was still a deeply-rooted taboo and hiding information on sex remained, in their perspectives, the best way to protect me. And so, the game of hide and seek continued. Now don't get me wrong. There is no doubt that the adults in our lives harbor the best of intentions when they attempt to "hide" information on sex from us. Many of them have been brought up that way and it takes a while for parents to digest the fact that their children are growing up, both mentally and physically. When you get to be a parent yourself one day, and find magazines headlines like The Best Sex I've Ever Had staring back at you in your teenager's room, you'll know the true meaning of panic. It is also understandable that many parents and teachers feel knotted on the subject as they themselves have been brought up to treat sex as an "embarrassing" topic. Ultimately though, parents and teachers should recognize the fact that withholding information on sex has become an ineffective and irrevelant way to protect teenagers from the potential abuse of sex. This is especially so today when information on sex comes as easy as a snap of the fingers.
With the widespread accessibility of the internet and the increased "liberalization" in the mass media, sex images in various extents of explicitness are in fact force-fed to the impressionable senses of teenagers and children. Whether parents like it or not, or are too embarrassed to talk about sex, is hardly the issue at all. The fact is that teenagers are learning about sex one way or another so if parents and teachers do not step out of their comfort zone and start educating teenagers on the subject, the possible consequences will be very hard to swallow indeed. Recent steps have been taken by schools to approach the teaching of sex education. to reinforce these efforts, parents should serve as an ultimate mentors and be there to patch up any loopholes of understanding. This is especially so in the moral and social consequences of engaging in premarital sex.
In the face of the rising number of teenage abortions, actiely talking to teenagers about sex will in fact be a surer means of protection. Having said all that, it doesn't mean that teenagers can rest on our laurels when it comes to sex education. should things o wrong and we find ourselves in a compromising situation, it is all too convenient to point an accusing finger at adults and shout about the fact that the dangers should have been highlighted to us. But wait! Teenagers do have a part to play and what every smart teenager would do is to adopt a responsible attitude to sex, and work with parents and teachers to learn more about the subject.
Labels: discussions on sex, hide and seek, hide-and-seek, mystery to adulthood, sex discussions
