[...] Birds, Bees and Beyond: How Much is Too Much [...]

This would totally undermine my plan to teach my kid to do it entirely wrong, prevent him from communicating his desires by giving him all the wrong names for things and paralyze him with performance anxiety.

@bob, where have you been? I´ve missed you snarky comments!

bob and Wolf–yes, and yes, and yes. y’all should write these down and turn it into a book. and, if parents don’t think their kid is ready for it, opt them out.

I think this curriculum is a couple of years too young. Kindergartners need anatomical names for body parts and not much more. Fifth graders really need to know about puberty. Seventh graders need to learn about intercourse and birth control.

As for homosexuality, I have no problem with it being taught at any age as long as it is appropriate. At the kindergartner level, anything more involved than reading stories like “And Tango Makes Three” is too much. By seventh grade, full information is appropriate.. including the risks of promiscuous behavior, especially among male homosexuals.

MS, it isn’t hate to give full and honest information to students when they are ready for it… even if it is unflattering to a group of people. Male on male promiscuous sex is highly dangerous. Or have you forgotten the AIDs epidemic? In 2007, there were over 16000 new cases of HIV/AIDs transmitted through male to male sexual contact. That is 5000 more than HIV/AIDS transmitted through heterosexual contact with someone of high risk or known to have HIV/AIDs.

Now, given that homosexual behavior is typically described as being about 10% of the population and given that almost half of all new AIDs cases were from male to male sexual contact (not including the male to male sexual contact w/ drug use), it would be wrong NOT to bring this to students’ attention. Our gay students’ need to know this so they don’t develop dangerous behaviors.

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/basic.htm#exposure

Lisa, teaching people that only gay guys get AIDS is why we have huge swaths of other groups having risky and unprotected sex and contracting AIDS. Everybody should know to use protection and not to engage in risky behavior. Would you just teach the “fat” kids about healthy eating habits? Good grief.

Seventh grade is awfully late to be teaching kids about sex considering they start talking about it amongst themselves by the first grade and by fifth and sixth grade often know other children who are having sex.

I don’t get the idea that burying your head in the sand means your kid won’t grow up. Although I do think Bob’s plan is hilarious.

If it is science based, and accurate, I have no issue with it. The only thing in your post that caught my attention negatively is the part about erotic art. Clearly not science.

And, who is going to determine what constitutes “erotic art” ???

Wha? 5th and 6th graders know other children who are having sex? Wha? Also, Lucky’s philisophy seconded here. As for the gay stuff, my comments about my daughter’s “future husband…or wife…” will have to be modified to “partner” (which, IMHO is way more queer!) for the emotional well-being of the in-laws. Be open to and about everything, y’know? Um, except sexually active 5th/6th graders.