We were delighted to see this piece by Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Connie Schultz.  Schultz describes her own vivid memories of sex education:

All of us girls marched down to the school basement carrying chunky social studies books we would use to hide our very own copies of the slender Johnson & Johnson booklet titled "Growing Up and Liking It." We watched a short flick on the wonders of our impending womanhood focusing entirely on feminine hygiene products made by -- and how's this for a coincidence? -- Johnson & Johnson.

 And then the agony of discussing the topic with her mother:

I do remember the heat burning up my neck and setting my cheeks on fire. I also remember my eyes bugging out like marbles on a spring as I shrieked, "With Dad?" And I remember my father coming home from work and asking, "What's wrong with Connie?"

Mom whispered, he chuckled, and that was the only time I got away with not speaking to my father at the dinner table.

Schultz quotes staunch advocate Ann Hanson:

"Parents are primary sexual educators," said Hanson, who is minister for sexuality education and justice for the United Church of Christ. "It's communication that stays with you for a lifetime."

If parents say nothing, or act horrified by questions, the message is clear: It's not OK to talk about sex in our home.

Hanson's question: "If you aren't educating your child, who is? Experimentation is a dangerous way to learn."

Schultz then goes on to profile Ben Snyder, whose church's abstinence campaign has garnered media attention for its title My God Made Sex.  But it's Hanson's view she endorses in the end:

Remember, dear parents: When it comes to sex, you are your children's primary teachers.

Even if you say nothing at all.

 

We couldn't agree more.  If you're having trouble starting the conversation, check out our Parents' Sex Ed Center for all of the information and resources you need to begin talking with your children about sex.