Home / Forums / Parenting Teens / Dating
Oprah's Advice on Sex Ed
I want to apologize up front for the crude nature of this post. But I believe that we need to stop being afraid to talk about these issues because obviously the people who have perverted views are not afraid to voice their opinions.
I was speaking with some friends over the Memorial Day holiday who shared unbelievable news with me. During one of her recent shows, Oprah and her experts adviced the parents of 10 year old girls to teach her about pleasuring therself, even with vibrators, in order to 'empower" her. They reasoned that if a girl knew how to enjoy herself, she would not turn to a boy for pleasure.
What warped and perverted thinking! By teaching that to the girls, you are only awakening their sexual curiosity. Girls will not be content and stay away from boys. They will seek boys to enhance the pleasure. They will not feel empowered. They will suffer from low self-esteem because they will see their bodies as objects for pleasure. Sex is not just about physical pleasure. Love-making between a husband and wife is about love, commitment, tenderness and respect. How are girls going to demand that boys respect them and value them if parents are teaching them to violate themselves?
I consider her teaching to be bordering on child abuse. Please seek wise counsel when teaching your teens about sex. Contrary to what the media teaches, sex is not for physical enjoyment alone. Sex is absolutely emotional. A young girl who begins to explore her body at 10 years old will grow up to be a troubled young woman, having given away pieces of her soul to various partners and in need of emotional healing by the time she is just 21.
Please don't listen to Oprah. Although she has her good days, she is not a parent, nor is she the authority on family counseling.
Syndicate
AddThis
I agree that the material presented on Oprah is totally inappropriate family viewing and definitely not what the vast majority of parents want to teach their children. However, it seems from your post that you may be unaware of how pervasive this type of thinking is among not only the media, but educators as well. You should be aware that this message is being initiated at the National level by an organization called the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States (SIECUS). This council has for over 10 years published the "Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education: Kindergarten-12th Grade" to help educators create new sexuality education programs. If one is interested, the guidelines can be found at http://www.siecus.org/_data/global/images/guidelines.pdf
Frankly, the graphic nature of some of the recommendations preclude me form repeating them on this site. Suffice to say that Key Concept 4 addressed the very issue Oprah repeated (starting on Page 50 of the Guide). I do not believe that the behaviors recommended and encouraged in the Guide would be acceptable to parents, however they are being incorporated into the public school curriculum.
When you state that "I consider her teaching to be bordering on child abuse. Please seek wise counsel when teaching your teens about sex.", I believe that most parents would agree, but they need to know that they likely will not be getting "wise counsel" from either public educators or our government. I believe that wise counsel would involve all parents taking their children out of public schools as soon as possible or at a minimum becomming intamately aware of everything they are being taught.
I would like to also comment on the statement that "They reasoned that if a girl knew how to enjoy herself, she would not turn to a boy for pleasure." but unfortunately do not have the time available today, perhaps later this week.
Thanks for bringing up this subject, it is one that need to be addressed by all parents.
Okay, I looked through the link provided and can't believe what I have read. Is that honestly what our teachers are looking at? First, everything in there completely dismisses the damage that occurs to our children, teens included, when their is too much intimacy. Did you read the part where it recommends teaching our teen daughters that the father of her unplanned pregnancy can give his OPINION on whether or not she should be allowed to abort his child but that the final say his hers????
Something is seriously wrong with that as a law, period but to teach our girls from the start that the father has no rigthts to his unborn child? Oh, and they failed to mention the emotional damage our daughters sustain from being sexually involved at a young age, the emotional trauma of abortion and the physical damage to the body. It won't affect her ability to get pregnant later???? What right doeas a stranger have to teach our children right and wrong with sexual activity and then the choice to abort???
I back the solution to pull your kids out of school if this is what they are going to be teaching them.
Wow. Thank you for posting that link. It made me sick to my stomach as I read it. As a former K-teacher, I know that educators use these guidelines to teach our children. I'm not sure when raising children became everyone's business and when parents lost their voice but we need to do something about it.
By wise counsel, I meant trusted spiritual leaders and older relatives (grandparents). Unfortunately, as you point out, even then do we need to be careful. This new liberal mentality has been subtly creeping even into the safest places. Now, people who once stood firmly for truth are begining to compromise in the name of "unity."
We must pray for our children and our leaders. And we must also raise our children to be teachers and politicians. Let's make it our goal to take back government and the leadership positions righteous people were meant to have!
I look forward to reading more from you.
Debra
I have heard wacky parenting advice but this tops the cake. What is really sad is that people will take this advice as practical! I can't imagine a 10 year old, or even a 12 year old or any age for that matter NEEDING to learn how to pleasure herself! this is another classic example of parents lying down and letting their kids do whatever, whenever, however and then stand shocked and surprised that their little girl could be pregnant! Lot's of anger!