My fellow classmate Vanessa, shared a interesting commentary regarding the issue of Sex Education in Texas. In her commentary, Let's Educate Correctly, Vanessa asserts that sex education should be a requirement for schools in Texas and brings up many interesting and valid points to back her claim. She starts off by giving many parents a mini heart attack by mentioning the words "Sex Education". She then goes to explain why that is the case because the discussion of sex with teenagers is still considered taboo for many parents across the state. She then states:
Kids don’t have to be educated properly in school to know what sex is right? Sex is shown in movies, TV shows, video games and more. How can someone really expect his or her kids to not know anything about sex?
Couldn't agree more! It's absurd that many parents will dodge the issue of educating their young yet willingly subject them or allow them to be subjected to sex across different mediums from such a young age. Not to mention, even in today's always connected society, it's almost impossible to avoid any outlets that are devoid of any sexual undertones.
Vanessa then shares a interesting article from KXAN on a study conducted by UT that examines Texas' teen pregnancies and the comparison across the county. I learned that we are two to three times the national average when it comes to teen pregnancies! Wow! One would believe that with the internet, the knowledge to educate one's self regarding sex would be fluid but society can't expect teens to teach themselves everything. If teens in our state are not educated, then they are not aware of some of the consequences and the study Vanessa shares confirms that.
The state and schools can only do so much to educate today's young. It's time for parents to stop dodging the issue of sex ed and start playing a more active role in their children's education. A great way to start is by asking how soon they would like to be called "Grandpa" or "Grandma"? Because without them being pro-active, doing the work and making an effort to educate their young, Texas will still be leading in our nation when it comes to teen pregnancies. While Texans like to think we're number one in everything, this is not something we should be leading.