Sex education: how to give an emotional education to sexuality to children and young people
Sex education for children and teenagers is very important: it is part of their general education and influences their personality, so it is good that it is carried out both at home (by parents) and at school, with specific sex education programs that can help them understand and live their sexuality to the fullest, while preserving sexual health. Obviously, the approach to sex must vary according to the age of the boy and be oriented towards an affective sexual education. Let's explore the topic together!
What is sex education and why it is important for children and young people today
"Sex education" - according to the guidelines of the "World Health Organization - includes the" cognitive, emotional, social, relational and physical "aspects of sexuality. Sex education, in fact, begins in childhood and lasts until "adolescence and adult life.
A correct sexual education given to children and young people must provide them with the right information, skills, but also positive values that can help them understand their sexuality and enjoy it while preserving their sexual health, well aware of the risks (from affective ones to sexually transmissible). All children and young people should have the right to "adequate sex education, obviously based on their age.
Sex and sexuality are two basic components of human life: providing children with an "emotional sexual education" will allow them to build satisfying relationships in the future, developing their personality in the best possible way. about "sex education in school (starting from primary school) make no sense: there are those who fear that sex education at school may encourage the practice of early sex among boys, but the results of the research conducted by the Organization World Health Organization prove that it is not so!
For young people today, it is even more important than in the past to receive a "professional sex education, alongside what their parents can give them: thanks to the internet, in fact, they can quickly find millions of pieces of information about sex and sexuality, often distorted. , unrealistic or degrading (just think of how harmful pornography can be towards female sexuality)!
Furthermore, a good sex education helps to become aware of the risks of sexually transmitted diseases, today completely avoidable if children were educated about sexual health!
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How age-related sex education changes
The sexuality of children and young people changes a lot according to age, and it is therefore right that the sexual education that is given to them is calibrated on the basis of their years. One of the most common mistakes that are made by parents and adults in general is to examine the sexual behaviors of children from their point of view: instead, the effort should be made to look at sex with their eyes and their perspective in order to understand them. .
In the age group between 0 and 3 years, children go through the phase of discovery, focusing on the senses: it is touch, hearing, sight, taste and smell that give them a sense of pleasure. Not surprisingly, pampering babies it is very important for them to develop a healthy personality. In addition to discovering and exploring the outside world, they also explore their body, including their sexual organs. Between 2 and 3 years, they develop a "gender identity, learning to distinguish if they are male or females. In addition to examining their bodies, they show it to other children and adults: it is part of the discovery of their sexuality. At this stage they begin to touch their genitals because they get a feeling of pleasure. If a real sexual education should not start, always according to the guidelines of the World Health Organization, before the age of 4, it is still possible to help the child at this stage to express his needs and limitations with easy games, like that of the doctor.
Between the ages of 4 and 6, however, children learn to relate more to others by attending kindergarten and primary school, learning the first social rules. They learn that adults don't approve of being naked to others or touching their genitals ... boundaries. At this age they begin to ask "how children are born". Educators - both parents and educators at school - then have the task of giving the first explanations to children about sex, pregnancy, abuse, using a simple and age-appropriate language.
The age group between 7 and 9, on the other hand, discovers shame: they find it difficult to undress in front of others, ask fewer questions about sex, but at the same time fantasize a lot about it using the tools they have at their disposal. . They want to demonstrate that they know what sex is and the adult world in general, and to do so they use sexual words, they invent dirty jokes, often without even understanding the meaning of what they say! In this phase, even the first falls can be born. "age it is very important that children are given the first indications to make them understand that sex can have a positive influence on health and well-being, but that respect for oneself and for others must be safeguarded. Information on menstruation must be given to them. , ejaculation and sexual violence.
Between the ages of 10 and 15, on the other hand, pre-puberty and actual puberty are entered: hormones begin to set in motion, as does the development of the body. Up to the age of 12 it is good that they begin to educate them on the use of condoms against sexually transmitted diseases, but also to enable them to say no to unwanted sexual experiences: they must know their rights. Between 12 and 15 they will have to know their rights. be educated about the symptoms of pregnancy and, in general, the consequences that pregnancy can have on their lives, as well as the importance of contraception. They should also be encouraged at this stage to express and disclose their possible homosexuality.
Finally, after the age of 15, it is important that education is not only sexual, but affective and sexual. In fact, it is the phase of the first real sexual relations and first loves: affective education will help them to better manage their emotions and to build healthy and respectful relationships.
The principles of a correct sexual affective education
The World Health Organization has established certain principles on which the sexual education of young people should be based, both for school educators and for their families. First of all, sex education must be appropriate to the age of the children and their possibilities of understanding. It must be based on the principle of sexual health and the understanding of one's personal rights.
Young people must also be educated in the principles of gender equity and acceptance of diversity. Love, understood as affection, must be part of their education in sexuality. The information that is given to pupils in schools and to children in the family must be accurate and scientific. Children must be enabled to make informed and conscious choices , respecting yourself and your (future) partner.
The importance of sex education programs in school
For a correct sexual education, parents and other family members are not enough: of course, they are very important, but children need "informal sources" that give them the right information on human relationships and sexuality.
Furthermore, we must not forget that it is often the children themselves, especially once they enter puberty, who have difficulty talking about sex with their parents! Having reference educators at school would be very important, especially with regard to contraception and the ways in which the contagion of sexually transmitted diseases occurs.
Sexuality and nutrition are two fundamental and connected realities, which influence each other in every phase of female life.
If you are interested in learning more about this aspect, you can participate in the Food Sexology course, held by experts in the sector, who aim to investigate the field from a sexological, medical, psychological and biological point of view.
For the necessary information and to register, visit the website www.sessuologialimentare.it/corsi and fill out the participation form.
The participation fee is 500 euros + VAT.
With the attribution of ECM credits, the cost is 600 euros + VAT.
One-time payment provides a 25% discount which will take place by 20 September: € 375 + VAT without ECM, € 450 + VAT with ECM.
For more information on sex education, you can consult the official WHO document.
