Why Your Kiddos Have Never Needed You More
Why we can't rely solely upon school-based sex ed.
In an ideal world, caregivers and educators would be working collaboratively. The lessons caregivers imparted on body parts and consent and healthy relationships would be reinforced in school. Where caregivers had gaps in knowledge, educators would be there with all the science-based facts. And in turn, caregivers would further deepen kids’ understanding of those facts by layering in their values: their beliefs about sexuality, and the “why” behind those beliefs.
The facts and the values would go hand in hand.
But the state of school-based sex ed from state to state and from district to district has never been consistent. In addition to differences in state-based legislation—with some states mandating comprehensive sex ed, others mandating abstinence-based sex ed, and others providing no direction at all—each district has its own interpretation of how sex ed should look, and how state law should be implemented.
This has always been the case.
In the foreseeable future, however, things will likely get worse.
We have an incoming president who happens to be following a terrible playbook, one that will lead to increasingly restrictive legislation around sex ed. Even proposed legislation leads to a chilling effect around what’s shared in the classroom. And the disinformation campaigns targeting those who teach sex ed are likely to become even more vicious.
The educators I know have already experienced the push-back and the smear campaigns.
They are exhausted from having to constantly fight an uphill battle.
In fact, during a recent chat, one educator posited that it might be time to pivot… to focus on educating caregivers instead of kids, so that lifesaving information can still reach the youth who most need it.
I know that none of us have given up on schools. But at the same time, I feel a lot of gratitude for you, the readers who are already invested in educating their children, however they can.
Here’s to a year in which we continue to champion knowledge and learning.
Whether it happens in the classroom or the living room, it has to happen.
Full Disclosure: Sex Ed in the News
Speaking of restrictive legislation that leads to even more restrictive implementation, a county in Florida has adopted a new sex ed curriculum that includes almost zero information about sex.
This is only the beginning. Legislators continue to target sex education in this post-“Roe” world.
New Sex Ed Resources
For educators: The S.L.A.M. Conference is coming up, and it looks amazeballs.
For caregivers: I just want to shout out Lauren Barineau’s series of workshops aimed specifically at caregivers.
Action Step
It’s January 1 and you may or may not have been celebrating last night, so let’s keep it simple. Peruse the books in the Guerrilla Sex Ed resource database, filter by your kiddo’s age group, and choose just one book you can read together. Order the dang thing, or put it on hold at your local library. Now you’ll be ready for your first sex ed convo of 2025!
Today’s Vibe
