I about fell out in the damn floor. We all know that sex ed has its good and bad points. You tell a teen about how sex works, they get curious or they ignore it. Preferably they ignore it, but teens are teens and think they know it all. But what really irked me this morning is a children's book. I'm all for teaching a child that, 'boys have penises and girls have vaginas.' Children are curious about their bodies, it's natural.
But, I hardly think drawing a line from dad's "tube" to mom's "tummy" and stating that dad's "tube" goes into mom's hole is appropriate for young children. They don't need to know that much! I'm sure the author had good intentions when writing this. The illustrations are 'cute'. All children wonder where babies come from. But this upset me as much as it upset my sister. I can't blame her one bit for returning it. She initially bought it thinking it would be cute with the dinosaur egg and all that. My niece is 4. To quote my sister, "My friend just proofread a seemingly harmless book I picked up for kk at the library. I had no idea. This like child karma sutra" KK is my niece's nickname and at first I thought maybe she might be overreacting a little. You know being the good typical mom. Until I read the text and really seen the pictures good.
When I asked her who the author was she told me. " 'It's called Mommy Laid an Egg by Babette Cole' and I'm sitting here thinking it will be just a cute book t read. The parents are telling the kids where babies come from. They are telling them kid related answers (like that dinosaurs deliver babies like the mailman.). And the the kids say that's nonsense and they teach the parents! Children's book OMG" I have to agree with her.
It's one thing to talk around the subject of how mommies and daddies have babies. But to be telling a Preschooler that his thing goes inside of mommy is WAY too graphic. Might as well give the kid a porno magazine or let them read a graphic romance novel!
"It was way too specific for kids. I found it in the preschool section. It's not like it was in the 12 year old section. It was right beside of Mother Goose's nursery rhymes"
This is no place for a book of this nature! Kids need to be protected not shown how mommy and daddy have sex! I'm sorry if this blog offends the author, but as a mother of a very impressionable 9 year old daughter, the aunt of a 4 year old niece, 12 year old niece, several 8 year old nephews, and 5 year old nephew, I have to say this is way too much for these children to be looking at. Children should be enjoying being just that, children. Not be taught how mommy and daddy have sex!
At first, I thought it didn't seem so bad until I saw the second photo you posted. That's a bit graphic for young children. I'm so glad I'm not a parent and don't have to deal with these issues.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cosetta. The second drawing, particularly, is WAY to graphic.
ReplyDeleteWhy don't they just go ahead and buy The Joy of Sex and get a lot more information for the money.
And this is for PREschoolers? OMG. I miss the day when kids could just be...kids.
C. Zampa, unfortunately yes, this is for PRE schoolers. My sister found it in the library to get and read to my niece. I knew people had to know so they wouldn't get a big surprise. It just so happened my sister didn't have time, she had to go to work, to read through it first.
ReplyDeleteI mean, you find something Sitting beside of Mother Goose who's going to think the wiser? I know I wouldn't have. It's almost as bad as just inviting the kid in the bedroom to watch! The second picture is what I went ballistic on. The third I was none too happy about. Like a kid needs to know where daddy sticks his....
Cosetta, thank you for the comments! Even if I wasn't a parent, I would still place a blog up about that after it being brought to my attention. Children need to be children.
Interesting. I have three daughters: a 9yr old, a 5yr old and a 7mnth old. I have been struggling to find a way to introduce them to the mechanics of sex, NOT for birth control, but because of AIDS. Unfortunate, we live in a country where rape of children is common, and a place that has the highest incidence of HIV+ in the world (Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa) where there is a persistent belief that having sex will a child will actually cure HIV/AIDS.
ReplyDeleteFrom the pictures you have posted from Babette Cole's book, it looks as if it is a perfect book for my purposes and I will order one today!
There is nothing else that I have found that was graphic enough, but which explained the actual mechanics of sex in a way which was suitable for young girls. This looks as if it will accomplish that task.
As hard as we work as parents to protect our daughters, I want my 9 year old (at least) to carry a condom so that if, god forbid, she is confronted with a rapist, she can at least avoid the almost 100% possibility that she would be infected with HIV.
I will also recommend this book to various people I know who are involved with the education and protection of young children. Thank you for bringing it to my attention!
John
Thank you for your thoughts John. Personally I believe there are other ways of informing our young ones without showing them sexual positions. Preschoolers don't need to know how 'doggie style' works.
ReplyDeleteIt's good that you want to educated your children. But I have to stand by my own views and believe there is some other way better of doing things. They already have sex ed in high school.
It's my belief, and I'm not alone, that things such as this is the very reason for teen pregnancy. The Health Department also offers education on transmitted diseases. I'm all for an open mind and the fact everyone is entitled to their own opinions.
I'm a Pagan mom. Therefore I want to make sure that what I teach my daughter is later on in life. Rape happens at any age anytime. You're right there. But teaching a child how sex works and the different positions will not prevent HIV, pregnancy from rape, nor will it teach a child that some men are hateful and mean.
Angel,
ReplyDeleteWe'll have to agree that we are in different places. You might not think so, but our geographic location has a HUGE impact on the circumstances.
Most definitely BoonDock. I'm from Tennessee, but for now live in Texas. I try and shield my 8 year old daughter from as much as possible like any other parent. Or the key word is try to. I know we can't protect them from everything.
ReplyDeleteI certainly wish we could! :) I know I wish there wasn't any meanness at all in the world. Maybe hope that one day our children can be safe from all. I don't disagree with the fact that children need to know about things. I just think that preschool is a bit too young.
They are most definitely too curious for their own good! What it would be like for life to be simple! :)
I am the parent of three grown children, liberal, educated and Pagan. This is nothing short of abusive, primarily because their psyches are not read for sexual images plus philosophical meanings. I've always thought that children give us cues on what they need to know and when. This pushes past their own developmental stages and asks for them to understand adult urges and sexual practices. Abhorrent for this age. Simply abhorrent.
ReplyDeleteSouthern Kitchen Witch, thank you for your comment! I totally agree. I could see talking about the birds and the bees with older children, like 12 and up, but never children younger. I about fell in the floor when my sister said it was sitting beside of Mother Goose at the library!
ReplyDeleteI too am Pagan. I'm all for my children knowing what they're about to satisfy their natural curiosity. But not in that way! That's way too much information. I wouldn't even let my daughter dance naked under the full moon no matter what the occasion!
Can you believe on Amazon, this author has 39 five star reviews for this book? It's hard to believe so many would condone this type of "teaching". Kids will be kids, sure. They all get curious about their bodies. But to go so far as to show a young child sexual positions in a children's book is the same as telling them to go out and get pregnant early in life.
Yet people wonder why there is so much teen pregnancy now adays!