Condoms for kiddies

[The Shadow]

Condoms for kiddies

Students in Provincetown — from elementary school to high school — will be able to get free condoms at school under a recently approved policy that takes effect this fall. The rule also requires school officials to keep student requests secret, and ignore parents’ objections.

“The intent is to protect kids,’’ said School Superintendent Beth Singer, who wrote the policy that the Cape Cod town’s School Committee unanimously passed two weeks ago. “We know that sexual experimentation is not limited to an age, so how does one put an age on it?’’

OK what glue have these people been sniffing? Condoms for high school students, sure. But elementary school age kids?! WTF!

[Greenday]

Why not? They ARE doing it. Not many but some are. Might as well let them be safe about it.

[jackfaire]

So how does one put an age on it? Uhm I don't know PUBERTY!?!?? Just a suggestion.

I mean yeah you got kids playing doctor but pre puberty pentration and such is rare especially on such a scale that condoms would be needed.

Plus if they are now availabe for those kids don't you have to teach those kids how to use them and what they are for does that mean kids now get sex education earlier in more explcit terms?

[Greenday]

So how does one put an age on it? Uhm I don't know PUBERTY!?!?? Just a suggestion.

I mean yeah you got kids playing doctor but pre puberty pentration and such is rare especially on such a scale that condoms would be needed.

What about STDs? What about kids having sex with older kids?

[Plaidman]

It's not illegal for them to have it. Hell, it's illegal to refuse sale of them to kids.

There are kids that are doing it before High School. I've known quite a few people that lost their virginity at 12. Not talk ether. One of them was pregnet twice by the time she was 14.

I think it's a good idea.

[jackfaire]

What about STDs? What about kids having sex with older kids?

Most often happens in abuse situations. I was 10 when I was in the 5th grade which is usually the last year of Elementary.

If doing things with older kids the older kids would still have acces to Condoms.

Sex ed at age 10 was about puberty and the changes our bodies were starting. We didn't cover sex untiil the 7th grade.

Seems to me the protection would be worthless without the education.

I think it's a good idea.

I agree it is a good idea for Junior High but Elementary school is typically 10 and younger.

[Rebel]

So how does one put an age on it? Uhm I don't know PUBERTY!?!?? Just a suggestion.

I started puberty just before I even turned 9.
You'd be surprised at how many sexually mature girls are only 9 or 10 years old these days (note I didn't say emotionally mature).

Another way of looking at it is that it takes away the immaturity of approaching condoms and other contraceptives when they're older. It would make the idea of purchasing and using condoms less overwhelming, meaning more people would use them.

I'm a bit more concerned about the parents making as big a deal about it. If you just react like it's all normal then kids are less likely to be super interested in them. You make a big deal of it and try to ban it, then kids are gonna want to get their hands on it and try them out, or try it without them because 'condoms are bad'.

But then again, I was taught about puberty and where babies come when I was about 5 or 6, and my parents answered any other questions I had about it.

[blas87]

Never ever tell your kids that sex is bad and only for married adults. Guaranteed virginity loss to an older, much more experienced guy before age 16.

[jackfaire]

But then again, I was taught about puberty and where babies come when I was about 5 or 6, and my parents answered any other questions I had about it.

My ex was taught about sex at age ten this inspired her to try and get sex from her classmates.

[Rebel]

My ex was taught about sex at age ten this inspired her to try and get sex from her classmates.

And....?

I think there's more to that story.
Maybe she was given a very brief rundown of sex (it feels nice), or she was not taught about the risks. Or maybe she was inspired by her friends or by an older boyfriend?
Maybe she wouldn't have sought out sex if she had been told about it at a younger age, before her hormones start up their rule over her.

The fact remains that education is the best way of letting children know about sex and the risks involved. If this education has to go hand in hand with free condoms and a caution to use them, then so be it.

That being said, even with all the education and cautions kids receive these days, there will still be kids who ignore it.

A crappy analogy would be to think of sex as a hot dinner plate (don't laugh).
If they don't know the plate is hot, they could touch it and get burnt.
If they are told it is hot, they could wait a while until it has cooled before they try to pick it up.
If they are told it is hot, they could also feel the need to confirm this for themselves, by touching it and getting burnt.

Kids starting puberty are driven by their hormones. At least give them a fighting chance and educate them about sex and what they can use.
I like the fact that the school is trying to strip away the negative ideas about condoms and show kids that it's really okay to use them. People demonize condoms too much.

[jackfaire]

I know but it just feels like we have worked so hard to let our kids just be kids and now we have to teach them how to be adults while they are still children so that if we miss them entering puberty they already know what they need to know.

And how young do we start teaching that? Does sex ed get taught alongside the alphabet? Where is the line for how young we teach this.

I have less of a problem with it if the parents still have a say in their kids learning about it or not before a certain age.

I think at some age it should no longer be the parents choice but I think parents should be allowed to decide if their prepubecsent children are taught about sex.

[BlaqueKatt]

I know but it just feels like we have worked so hard to let our kids just be kids and now we have to teach them how to be adults while they are still children so that if we miss them entering puberty they already know what they need to know.

And how young do we start teaching that? Does sex ed get taught alongside the alphabet? Where is the line for how young we teach this.

You are aware that the current average age for onset of puberty in girls(first sign is breast development) is now 8-10 years old*-so elementary school age.

*and no it's not due to "OMG hormones in the food/water"-it's actually childhood obesity-medically a body begins to mature physically when there is enough adipose tissue to support fetal development-it's why anorexics don't menstruate.

[Rebel]

And how young do we start teaching that? Does sex ed get taught alongside the alphabet? Where is the line for how young we teach this.

I have less of a problem with it if the parents still have a say in their kids learning about it or not before a certain age.

I think at some age it should no longer be the parents choice but I think parents should be allowed to decide if their prepubecsent children are taught about sex.

In a perfect world, parents would start to teach their children about their bodies when they first discover them (a lot of toddlers start exploring their own bodies). Their bodies and its reactions are normal parts of being human. But a lot of parents freak out when they discover their children doing this, and that's when it becomes a 'naughty' thing to do.
There are books out their that teach about babies and puberty and sex in a way that children are able to understand it, and they include cartoon pictures. The best ones I know of are "Where Did I come From?" and "What's Happening to Me?" by Peter Mayle. I read them when I was 5. I giggled at during the first reading, but actually followed up with questions in later readings.

The fact is, a lot of parents these days don't want to do the 'embarrassing' talk and so they avoid it. Some parents also refuse to accept that their babies are growing up and so try to shelter them from the horrors of sexual education.
My parents knew it was going to happen eventually, and they wanted me to know I knew all I could about it, and that I could come to them with any questions or problems.

Why don't we teach about the body when they're learning about their ABC's?
I don't know, maybe societal repression? But it actually sounds like a good idea.

[jackfaire]

Why don't we teach about the body when they're learning about their ABC's?
I don't know, maybe societal repression? But it actually sounds like a good idea.

I agree kids should learn about reproduction with their ABCs but we aren't talking about teaching them reproduction when we put condoms in their schools we are talking about teaching them safe sex which means looking at a 9 year old and saying, "Now when you give a blow job you should use a dental dam, anal sex is higher risk for STDs, etc. "

Reproduction is fairly benign but Safe Sex is about the sexual acts as much as it is the results of it. I can just see some kids going, "hmm that sounds interesting I am going to try it."

Kind of like me and my brother we didn't start swearing until our parents sat us down and said, "Here are all the swear words that exist that you didn't know before and your friends didn't know now don't say them" Yeah that was when we started swearing.

[Rebel]

I agree kids should learn about reproduction with their ABCs but we aren't talking about teaching them reproduction when we put condoms in their schools we are talking about teaching them safe sex which means looking at a 9 year old and saying, "Now when you give a blow job you should use a dental dam, anal sex is higher risk for STDs, etc. "

Wow.
That's like seeing a few drops of rain and jumping to the conclusion that a monsoon is starting.
(And I'm pretty sure that anal sex and the higher risk of STI's would be looked at in sex-ed, it's a health issue. Also, dental dams are for cunnilingus and rimming, condoms are used for blow-jobs, at least here they are).

Also, the article points out that the kids have to ask the nurse for the condoms, and that they would be required to explain why they need them. So no young children really have access to them at all. Only those who really need them have access to them, and a lot of these kids (me admitting they are still kids) are too embarrassed or scared to approach their parents about it.

Lastly, a lot of younger (11 and up) girls have older boyfriends (not condoning it), and they eventually want sex (still not condoning it), and quite a few of them use the old 'I don't like to wear condoms', 'I don't feel as much when wearing one', 'oops, don't have any'. This way the girl is able to provide for herself and keep herself safe. It's better than unwanted pregnancies or abortions.

Young girls have sex. They shouldn't be, but they are, despite education, warnings, and parental objections. Don't you want them to at least be safe?