REPÚBLICA BOLIVARIANA DE VENEZUELA
MINISTERIO DE EDUCACIÓN SUPERIOR
UNIVERSIDAD PEDAGÓGICA EXPERIMENTAL LIBERTADOR
INSTITUTO PEDAGÓGICO "RAFAEL ALBERTO ESCOBAR LARA"
UNIVERSIDAD PEDAGÓGICA EXPERIMENTAL LIBERTADOR
INSTITUTO PEDAGÓGICO "RAFAEL ALBERTO ESCOBAR LARA"
Have you already talked to your girls about sex?
“I was never told about sex before” said Vanessa Guzman, a twelve-year-old girl from El Limon-Maracay, when she was asked the reason why she had decided to have a sexual relation. Her parents said that they had not talked to her about sex because they thought she was not ready to hear about this complex, and for them, embarrassing topic, what they did not take into account was that she was about to reach puberty, and that was the best age to start. On the other hand, Vanessa said that her parents never gave her opportunities to ask questions related to sex and that was why she decided to search for information everywhere except her own home. Vanessa asked the wrong person and now she is pregnant. Therefore, parents should talk about sex to their girls before they reach puberty in order to avoid premature pregnancy.
Puberty is the time when a girl's body grows into a woman's body, and it may begin as early as seven or eight years old or as late as fourteen years old. The physical changes are necessary for a girl to reproduce (have babies) later in life. During puberty, hormones are released from girls’ brain, and it cause their ovaries (organs that hold eggs) to produce estrogen, which is the main hormone that starts the body changes, such as pubic, underarms and legs hair growing, and breasts development. In addition to this, girls may start having strong sexual urges and feelings they had not had before. Girls may also develop a romantic attraction to someone and begin dating, it is natural to have changing feelings. Sometimes during puberty, girls may feel distanced from their parents. Parents may feel the same way and may be uncomfortable talking with their girls about intimate issues. Sigel (2003).
Puberty is the time when a girl's body grows into a woman's body, and it may begin as early as seven or eight years old or as late as fourteen years old. The physical changes are necessary for a girl to reproduce (have babies) later in life. During puberty, hormones are released from girls’ brain, and it cause their ovaries (organs that hold eggs) to produce estrogen, which is the main hormone that starts the body changes, such as pubic, underarms and legs hair growing, and breasts development. In addition to this, girls may start having strong sexual urges and feelings they had not had before. Girls may also develop a romantic attraction to someone and begin dating, it is natural to have changing feelings. Sometimes during puberty, girls may feel distanced from their parents. Parents may feel the same way and may be uncomfortable talking with their girls about intimate issues. Sigel (2003).
One of the biggest problems girls face when they are about to reach puberty is the lack of comunication between their parents and them. Most of the times, talking to their girls about a complex topic such as sex, represents a difficult job for parents, and what they do not take into consideration is that puberty represents the begining of sexual curiosity, and the precise moment at which information about sex and premature pregnancy should be provided. Here two questions are needed to be answered, first of all, why is it difficult for parents to talk about sex to their girls? Sometimes it could be because they do not pay attention to their girls physical and behavior changes, or they do not consider that their girls are mature enough to understand issues related to sex and sexuality, so they avoid answering the possible questions or doubts their girls might have. As a result, girls lose their parents trust, and they choose to search information in different places except their own home. Moreover, parents think they have solved a big problem, but here it is where the second question appears, have they really done it? What they do is to push their girls into a world that can affect their beliefs without realizing it. Nowadays young girls can get information about sex everywhere they go; seeing women who sell their bodies in the streets, or pornography on the web shows clearly how drastic society has changed, and how a sexual relation can be misunderstood. Consequently, girls keep in their minds a wrong concept about what a sexual relation really is, and have no idea about how dangerous it can finish.
According to The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry “It is important to talk about the responsibilities and consequences that come from being sexually active such as pregnancy and feelings about sex; it can help them make the decisions that are best for them without feeling pressured to do something before they are ready” Most parents could delay having conversations related to sex with their girls maybe because they think it is easier for them to promote the choice of abstinence among their girls than provide reliable information to them. Even though parents believe that their “little girls” should not have sex until they get married, they must consider providing them basic information before they reach puberty; for instance, how feelings can take part in any sexual activity or not, contraception, etc, and as a result, avoid irremediable consequences such as unwanted pregnancy.
Simon Forrest, Director, Sex Education Forum, UK and Annabel Kanabus, Director, AVERT, UK said: “The precise age at which information related to sex should be provided depends on the physical, emotional an intellectual development of the young girls as well as their level of understanding” However, in most of the cases, girls who have not reached puberty, specifically at eight years old, can be considered as people ready to start talking about sex and sexuality. Nowadays, it must be relevant for parents to keep a healthy communication with their daughters, although, it is necessary to start as earlier as possible and talk freely about sex in order to get their daughters’ trust. Also it is known that is complicated for parents to take a sit with their girls and explain issues associated to sex, for instance, where babies come from, but the important thing is to discard the same old story about the stork and start putting their feet on the ground, and realize that their girls are able to know more than they can expect. Maybe parents could look for professional help so they can feel less stressful when puberty has come to their girls.
Overall, the sooner parents start talking about sex to their girls the better. What they have to take into account is that the main role they have to play is providing the necessary information about sex in order to keep their young girls away from negative influences that can affect their sexual development, an also their lives. For this reason, parents should start raising issues about sex and sexuality to their girls before they reach puberty and before anybody else does it for them.
“Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today”
Benjamín Franklin.
Authors:
Pérez Stephanie C.I.: 17.570.260
Rojas Mayerlyn C.I.: 17.197.850
Sánchez Fernando C.I.: 16.763.972
English IV. Section 801.
According to The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry “It is important to talk about the responsibilities and consequences that come from being sexually active such as pregnancy and feelings about sex; it can help them make the decisions that are best for them without feeling pressured to do something before they are ready” Most parents could delay having conversations related to sex with their girls maybe because they think it is easier for them to promote the choice of abstinence among their girls than provide reliable information to them. Even though parents believe that their “little girls” should not have sex until they get married, they must consider providing them basic information before they reach puberty; for instance, how feelings can take part in any sexual activity or not, contraception, etc, and as a result, avoid irremediable consequences such as unwanted pregnancy.
Simon Forrest, Director, Sex Education Forum, UK and Annabel Kanabus, Director, AVERT, UK said: “The precise age at which information related to sex should be provided depends on the physical, emotional an intellectual development of the young girls as well as their level of understanding” However, in most of the cases, girls who have not reached puberty, specifically at eight years old, can be considered as people ready to start talking about sex and sexuality. Nowadays, it must be relevant for parents to keep a healthy communication with their daughters, although, it is necessary to start as earlier as possible and talk freely about sex in order to get their daughters’ trust. Also it is known that is complicated for parents to take a sit with their girls and explain issues associated to sex, for instance, where babies come from, but the important thing is to discard the same old story about the stork and start putting their feet on the ground, and realize that their girls are able to know more than they can expect. Maybe parents could look for professional help so they can feel less stressful when puberty has come to their girls.
Overall, the sooner parents start talking about sex to their girls the better. What they have to take into account is that the main role they have to play is providing the necessary information about sex in order to keep their young girls away from negative influences that can affect their sexual development, an also their lives. For this reason, parents should start raising issues about sex and sexuality to their girls before they reach puberty and before anybody else does it for them.
“Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today”
Benjamín Franklin.
Authors:
Pérez Stephanie C.I.: 17.570.260
Rojas Mayerlyn C.I.: 17.197.850
Sánchez Fernando C.I.: 16.763.972
English IV. Section 801.
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