Let's talk about sex, baby

Ahahahaha, yes, I did just use that title for my entry this week.
The following post totally justifies it though!

This week we talked talking about sexual intimacy in class. At first it was a little awkward because just talking about it makes me uneasy, but as the week went on I eased up a bit. It also helped that we were covering the same topic, more specifically the law of chastity in my family relations class. I really love how this semester all my classes seem to correlate with each other.

Thursday during he discussion we talked about ways to communicate this sensitive topic to our kids when the time came for them to learn about the famous birds and the bees and how to communicate it to them. Throughout the discussion, I really got to thinking-- if I am so freaked out sometimes talking about sex, how am I going to talk to my future kids about this so that they learn early on that sex is a beautiful thing rather than what their peers may be telling them-- a dirty thing? There was a comment made in class about starting off sex education for our children at a young age. Of course, not going into full detail, but just starting off small and gradually building on the information that you give them. I totally agree with this statement 100%. I don't know where I read or heard it, but specialists recommend that as early as age 3 parents should start this process by answering their questions. Of course, a 3-5 year old won't e asking questions that a typical 16 year old might ask about sex, but rather questions that have to do with their bodies. 3-5 year olds are in the toddler stage, where they begin to start questioning their environments. From this the question of what makes girls and boys different may arise. Simple, explain to them these differences, don't sugar coat anything, tell it how it is! Tell them the importance of the body and how certain parts are more special than others and should be covered up. From there as they grow up, answer the questions that start to come from your child-- of course as deemed appropriate to their levels of understanding.

So why is talking to your kids about sex important? Well, look at the picture above. Kids 12-17 are the LARGEST group to be viewing pornographic material. That's crazy! Pornography is SUCH a destructive thing-- it destroys not only family relationships, but the ability for you to be with the Spirit. The Spirit runs away frightened when this happens. It is better to teach a child about the dangers viewing porn poses rather than they finding out themselves from first hand experience later on. The way I see it, pornography is like a gateway drug to other dangerous, immoral behavior that can lead to teen pregnancy or even STDs.

One very important thing though-- be sure that YOU are the ones (you and your spouse) that teach your children about sexuality. Not doing so and avoiding the topic can cause your questioning child to go out and seek other sources to give them this information that you refuse to give to them. Why get information from a secondary source than a primary source such as parents-- who actually know the symbolism and importance of it because they've actually been through it first hand. You know what the Proclamation says-- that parents are the ones responsible for the upbringing of their children and I honestly think that educating children about sex is part of that upbringing.

I guess it's time that I start to get over this awkwardneess about sex, huh?
For the sake of my future children and when that time does come to tell them how it really is.