(The Nationalist, 28 June 2002)
In 1971, 2.8% of Irish babies were born out of marriage. In 1997, the figure was 26.8%, while 45% of all first babies were born out of marriage, and 80% of babies born to women under 26, and 95% of births to teenage mothers. These figures surely point to the need to educate young people in values and standards about sexual behaviour, by showing, for example, that a family of a man and woman committed to each other for life in marriage is the best environment in which to bring up a child.
Is it not remarkable that in the highly sexualized world of today, there is still so much ignorance among the young about human sexuality?
Young people have the information, but not the formation. They have knowledge of the mechanics of sex, but are ignorant of its significance. They have the physiology, but not the human relations. That kind of education does not deserve the name. A “value-free” education is a valueless education.
Some parents seem to assume that ignorance is innocence. It’s not. It simply isn’t right that children, as they grow up, have to rely on street-corner gossip and dirty jokes as their source of information and education in human sexuality.
In this day and age there is no excuse for youngsters being allowed to grow up in ignorance of something as essential, as humanly necessary, as an awareness of human sexuality and its central role as part of our humanity.
Parents and teachers need to work together so that children will learn about their sexuality and its meaning in a way that is appropriate to their level of human maturity. Initially this can be done by parents simply giving honest and clear answers to the small child’s question, ‘Where was I before I was born?’ Or giving a similar answer to the child learning the Hail Mary, who asks what the word womb means.
I find it hard to understand why parents say they are embarrassed to talk with their children about sex. Why? It is normal, natural and human. If parents do not talk to their children about it, there are others who will, such as the teen magazines which feature “Position of the Month”, and speak of sex as if it were simply a biological act as devoid of human significance as blowing one’s nose.
Ignorance is no help to innocence. Young people need help; they are asking for it and should be given it.