Personally, I feel that this ridiculous sweeping of sex under the carpet that American society has engaged in over the last 50-60 years has resulted in a HUGE amount of sexual repression that directly translates to so many of our societal ills. I'm not suggesting that people should just be having sex with anyone and everyone, just so no one is mistaken here. What I am suggesting is that having open, frank discussions about it and accepting the fact that it is a part of life that we are naturally inclined to instead of some deep, dark dirty secret that will somehow cease to exist if we ignore it. I see so many people in our culture that are sexually frustrated and repressed and all that gets bottled up and translated into anti-social behavior, intimacy issues, neuroticism, anger problems, power lust, teen pregnancy, venereal diseases and so many other things that we could really do with out. Sex has always existed. It always will be. No matter how hard some people try to pretend that it doesn't.
As far as kids go, there's a right time to have that kind of conversation with your kid. It really depends on their maturity level and ability to comprehend rather than their age, so it takes good judgment on the part of the parent. On one hand you want them to be informed and aware so they can protect themselves from predators, and on the other you don't want to steal their childhood away from them before it's necessary. It's a fine line and a difficult one to walk at that. But, when you do have that conversation with your kids about sex, don't treat it like it's some horrible fact of life. Sex is a beautiful part of life and they shouldn't think of it as dirty and shameful. They need to understand that it's also a big responsibility and not to be taken lightly and that it's not just a casual thing, either. It's special and sacred, to be honest, and they should understand that they shouldn't necessarily be having it just because they can. Talk to kids like adults and you might surprised how they respond.
At any rate, there's this clinging to the neo-puritan values that really re-emerged during the 40's and 50's as a response to the looser roaring 20's and 30's that still permeates our society. We had a slight respite from them in the 60's and then they came back with a vengeance. I understand why some people cling to them, but I think certain parts of them are outdated and unnecessary, personally.
jag
