Protected: All School

“The Talk” What Your Kids Need to Hear FROM YOU About Sex by Sharon Maxwell, Ph. D (soon to be in our school library) Denice Tepe, White Mountain Waldorf School parent, shares her notes on a lecture at Merriconeag Waldorf School, Oct. 1, 2010. It’s all about teaching our children how a responsible person deals with sexuality. A better name Maxwell said would have been “The Conversation”.  We can’t wait for our children to start the conversation about sex; they may never.  We need to start the conversation in early adolescence and keep it going, and we need to pay attention.   It’s about teaching our kids to deal with sexual energy/desire before it happens.  We need to give them the tools to control and direct their desires, just like we teach them to control their hunger and anger.  Moms and dads should both share their perspective with the children.  Our perspectives are very different and they need to hear it from both a man's and woman’s point of view.  Maxwell said if we’re only teaching our children the biology of sex, were doing them an injustice.  We also need to teach them about sexual desire, and where they can channel that desire.  Many art forms are expressions of desire: poetry, music, sports and so on. Parents need to be aware of what is going on in their child/ren's world today.  Many video games are linking sex and violence.  We need to help our children grow into healthy sexual beings by protecting them from these connections at such young ages.  Pornography is readily available by a simple click.  That first visual is very important.  It should be one of kindness and love.  We can offer them that. Finally, parents need to teach their children that they need to know who they are.  To be their own best friend.  To look in the mirror and ask themselves if they can be proud of themselves today.  Although their friends, body, mind, feelings and family will change throughout their life, their inner beings, their conscience, their soul stays the same.  Parents needs to help them to know that person, deep within themselves and then… remind your children of who they are.  That’s the best we can do. Denice Tepe