I NEED TO KNOW

SO MUCH TO LEARN FROM OUR PARENTS; AS WE NEED TO KNOW 

How much do our children need to know on sexuality and to what extend and how early should they be exposed to sex education?

These and more are questions that need to be answered by this generation while helping the next.

For many that grew up to watch the UNICEF sponsored teen awareness TV series that ran on the National Television in the 90s; where different scenarios from different family settings and trainings were brought alive through television casting, you would agree with me that alot took place in the television programme and many that were teens at that time really would have learnt so much from the good contents that were presently weekly for children to learn and to also empower parents as to the best ways to give or introduce their children/ward to sex education, a phenomenon which was very much strange in our culture then. 

Many would still remember how the deliteful and young Funke Akindele, casted as Bisi would come back home and ask her parent series of questions based on all that she has seen and observed happening around her and from her class and school mates.

The parent never kept any thing back for her to know and to a large extend helped her hiquiment  to the point where she was bold enough to correct many wrong notions her friend had on sexuality and sex related matters. 

Many of her mates didn't have it so good as they went into lots of experimentation and acts that almost destroyed their lives haven made many wrong decisions, 

why? 

Because they never had it so good from the home front.

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http://ayobeniji4jblogs.blogspot.com/2020/07/chalenging-challenges-facing-you-as.html

Their parents or guardians  hardly have time for them, or such were just so cautious having wrong notions as to why should sex related matters be discussed with teens. They actually  by this singular decision almost destroyed the lives of their children who were already ways ahead interms of exposure to sexuality related issues.

There were readily available wrong information and people who were willing tools in the hands of satan, essily cashed in on their displayed naive attributes  as young growing minds,who needed something to write on their plain and clean tablet(mind).

Sexuality in children theses days  sets in more earlier than it was years back. Puberty can come on as earlier as 8 or 9years now compared to what it was just some few decades again.

 Children are more conscious of happenings around them these days than what we had years back, coupled with their higher level of inquisitiveness. 

We just have to learn how best to help to keep them abreast of the right kind of information that would help them make write choices.

We have them also having a faster education now than then and with the wide use of the internet more now to access information, by mere use the smartphines; there seems to be no limits to how they can access information which also comes with videographics to aid their understanding and breed a wider imagination in them.

Ou children,  just like Bisi and the rest of the cast of the TV series 'I NEED TO KNOW', actually do NEED TO KNOW ' 

But how can they know when we the parents , teachers or care givers have not yet come to terms with the realities of our times?

We need to start to see ourselves as being sent to empower  and liberate them from  the numerous interwoven web of misinformation and disinformation as we have today in this age of Scial Media and free flying Fake News.

The onus is on us and can we afford to fail them?

For instance when is the right time to talk to our children about abstinence or how do we go about telling them about methods that could help to prevent such incurable infection as HIV?

 It is better to start teaching  them abstinence  and tell them it's more convenient  to zip-up rather than be exposed and then also expose them to the need for  this morally.

We let them know that the place of sex is only approved  for the marriage institution where fidelity is premium

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Then  teaching on use of contraception and   condom as prescribe even in Basic 5 and 6 curriculum would only be as an additive, knowing that if you don't tell them; the  possibility of learning the wrong way is still there through unscrupulous influencers out there who they see as role models but  who themselves have no good role to play in their lives.

We empower them by  making them know that the power of choice to abstain is of  more benefits than promiscuity.

Just  the same way we let them know what conventional meaning of marriage is ,despite the fact that the world now give rooms for other meanings of marriage and types of marriages.

They stick to that which only says, it's a relationship between a man and a woman where mutual consents have been sort and agreed.

Today the world wants them to know that trangenders exist so does the LGBTQ community and that they should accept them as being normal. We know what us best for them as God desires and not what the world dictates.

They don't have to learn from the wrong sources nor do they have to practise it, even if they have the knowledge of it, going by lots of things  happening  around them.

We just need to let them know the power of right decision making and give them reason to choose rightly.

In family planning lesson it is embedded in it as part of the curriculum and knowledge they need to have  even in biology, but knowing doesn't mean they have to  practise by experimenting.

Same thing goes when we teach drugs and use of illicit ones. We emphasise the rule of non participation.

They need to know but also need to Choose.

They need to know as early as possible differences between  private parts and public parts of their body and how not to be touched by anyhow persons. 

They need to know that their bodies are to be respected and treated as such too by all, even their partners or caregivers.  

They need to know quite alot as it is within the confines of their right to education and health.

How we go about our lesson presentation is where the work lies. This must be brought down to the level of their understanding without compromising any moral standards nor giving them liberty for licence to engage in that which is wrong.

Our children want to know and rightly from us not strangers. We might not have been raised like that in our generation because our parents never know that  we needed to know , but now that we know better,  we need to let them know.

 

Knowledge is powerful  particulaly when it comes with the option of choosing that which is right and from the person you look up to like your parents and mentors. We are these to them.

Adenij A. B

@ayobenini4j

Lead Consultant

Citadel Project 

08150764384