Unfortunately, not everyone's parents are qualified or willing to teach sex-ed.

Homeschooling. by Linstar on 2022-08-18 22:37:24 UTC Reply

Are any other PPCers who are/were homeschooled? If so, (or not) what are your opinions on the subject?

—Ls is homeschooled, and likes it

I have a friend who was. by Neshomeh on 2022-08-19 18:47:25 UTC Reply

From what they tell me, their mom did a pretty good job at it, and was able to provide some really memorable experiences with activities and field trips. However, the trade-off is that they didn't get a lot of the social experience that you get from public school, not to mention chances to learn from people other than their parents. They feel like not sharing those public-school experiences makes them a bit of an outsider, and it didn't do any favors for their relationship with their mom. It might have been better for them to have had more time apart.

As for me, in high school I thought I wanted to be home-schooled, possibly because I thought I wouldn't have to deal with homework that way, or at least it wouldn't feel like as much of an imposition on my home life if I was home anyway. I've never been a social butterfly, either, and I probably felt I could have done without being around other students all day. Looking back on it as an adult, though, I think it would have been a terrible idea for me. Public school has its problems, but IMO the experience of being exposed to loads of people who are different from you and learning skills to deal with them is pretty much invaluable, especially to an anxious introvert like me. If I never had all that practice making friends and dealing with conflicts as a kid, when I was fortunate to have had good support from the adults in my life, I shudder to think how far behind I'd have been when I finally left the nest. Anyway, my parents divorced when I was still in elementary school. My dad was an alcoholic who barely had his s*** together at the time, and my mom had to work and couldn't afford a tutor. It wasn't really an option. Certainly not with custom creative activities and field trips.

Nothing against private school, and certainly not against people who have/had private schooling, but mostly it's not available without a certain level of wealth, so it will never be a viable option for the majority of kids, and I'm not sure it's especially beneficial except as a fallback for kids whose physical or mental health prevents them from entering public school. So, I'm all for public school for everyone who can safely have it, and I believe local and federal governments have an ethical and moral responsibility to ensure that public education is available, safe, and equal for everyone. Also, human anatomy/physiology, including sexuality of all stripes, are extremely important subjects and must be taught in age-appropriate lessons to all ages, I will fight you, come at me, bro.

...Well, you asked for opinions. {= )

~Neshomeh

Alright! Opinions I got. by Linstar on 2022-08-19 19:36:00 UTC Reply

Well, I’ve been lucky enough to meet lots of other homeschooled kids; via co-ops and my church.

The thing is—if you’re homeschooled, it’s all homework.

And I’d say that parents are usually the best for teaching about human biology, etc.

I recognize that homeschooling is clearly not viable for everyone, but it’s a great alternative to public school.

—Ls started this thread after seeing an anti-homeschooling article.

Unfortunately, not everyone's parents are qualified or willing to teach sex-ed. by Neshomeh on 2022-08-20 14:38:19 UTC Reply

If there's no comprehensive sex education available in school, what happens to all the kids whose parents can't even say "penis" or "vagina" to them with a straight face, let alone discuss menstruation, pregnancy, birth control, STIs, condoms, masturbation, nocturnal emissions, random boners, etc. etc.?

I'll tell you what happens: those kids, especially if they're female and/or queer, are incredibly vulnerable to being taken advantage of simply because they don't know any better and have no one close to turn to for help. If all you've ever been taught is "sex is bad and so are you if you so much as think about it," and the person you're in love with says "don't worry, it's not sex if I just use my mouth," or "don't worry, it's not sex if I put it in your butt," are you going to disbelieve them? And then, if they don't want to stop there and they say "don't worry, if you pee afterward it'll wash the sperm out," or "but I thought you loved me!"... Short, sad story played out far too many times: ignorance leads to bad outcomes.

The fact is that comprehensive education empowers kids to make healthier choices, and too many people will not get that at home because their parents are either too ashamed of the subject or too uneducated themselves to provide it (not to mention the parents who are just straight garbage). Leaving it up to the parents isn't fair to the kids.

~Neshomeh