While I was in college, I was living with two of my great girl friends. One of them was in teachers college. At one point she was doing her placement in a grade 9 gym class in an Ontario high school. One day, she came home and she told me about the girls only meeting that her school had to have for the grade 9 and 10 girls. It turned out that there was an overwhelming amount of young girls who were opting to have anal sex because when you have anal sex you can’t get pregnant. And who wants to get pregnant, that’s like getting herpes because like herpes, a child is with you for life. What’s that all about? What they didn’t realize, that while sure, the odds of getting pregnant are the slimmest, the odds of getting diseases is just as high as vag-course. Especially if they aren’t using condoms. Anyway, the point of this, is that these girls were not only misinformed, but they were engaging in a sexual activity that I’m pretty sure to partake in requires more maturity than  that of a person who recently still believed in Santa Claus.

The fact of the matter is, is that parents shouldn’t be relying on Degrassi to teach their kids about the realities of sexuality. Learning about safety, consent, and that homosexuals exist is not harmful, it’s helpful. Now for those who are struggling, harmful and helpful are opposite words. And really, whether you like it or not, your kid is going to get sexualized, and most likely long before you’re emotionally able to deal with it. Even if they wait until their wedding night on their 30th birthday, no parent is fully ready to accept that their kid gets off. Because they are your baby. I get that. So, why not get accept some help from teachers who care about your children and their safety. Because these kids will learn about it anyway, so they may as well learn how to protect themselves.

Here are somethings to consider:

• When I was in grade 6 there was a boy in my class who got a bj from a girl from another school. At the time I didn’t know what a blow job was, but when I had heard that this was an activity people partook in, I often wondered where the air went. Anyway, years later in university while watching Degrassi the Next Gen, I learned that you can get gonorrhoea of the throat, like Emma did after she gave that boy a BJ in a van or something. Which sent me in a panic, but then realized my throat didn’t hurt at all and that I was being a hypochondriac. Anyway, that sounds pretty terrible and luckily it’s treated with antibiotics and isn’t a lifelong sentence if treated, but still at some point kids need to know that they if they’re going to try to inflate a man with air through his penis, that they should probably wrap that up unless they want the possibility of the soar-est throat of all time.

• All kids masturbate. “Not my boy,” says the in denial sexophobe parent. But it’s true, they all do (even the girls). And these kids need to know that it’s normal, healthy even. They just can’t do it everywhere and anytime they please. Privacy for private matters.
• Did you know that learning that homosexuality exists will not make your child gay? Did you know this? What it will teach them is to value other human beings and accept those who aren’t exactly like themselves. Because you know about being gay, and you’re not gay. Or are you? If you are, it still has nothing to do with learning about it. Sexual instincts are that – instincts. So, if your instinct leans towards samesies than no matter how much you learn about electrical sockets it’s not going to change you and vice versa. This also goes for those who are transgendered. Either you are or you aren’t, learning about this will not change your unique individuality.
• Consent. Consent. Consent. Do you know how many of my friends were pressured into doing things they weren’t ready to do? Me neither because it was the 90’s and people didn’t really talk about it. Little boys and little girls should learn about consent and what it truly means.
• Sex ed has been an important subject that’s been taught for a very long time. It was just called ‘Health Class’ when I was a kid. To this day I still find the word discharge disgusting.

• Kids need to feel comfortable to talk about things that they are curious about and lets face it, sometimes they can’t always talk to their parents. But isn’t it great that there are responsible caring adults out there who are willing to help?
• Some kids don’t get taught anything. At all. Because of this, these kids are forced to learn about sex on the streets. Or by streets I mean playground. Having some adult reinforcement helps establish the message that when it comes to sex, safety is the highest priority.

In an ideal world, kids will wait until they are responsible-near-adults to do it and to explore another’s body. But let’s face it, many won’t. Many will be like those grade 9 girls letting multiple boys put their wieners in their out-hole because they think it’s ok because they won’t get pregnant. And that’s scary. So let’s all stop being so paranoid and just accept the new curriculum because it’s going to not only teach children to be safe, but to take care of their bodies, and it’s going to teach them to grow up to be compassionate human beings who accept those who are a little different than themselves. I think that’s pretty amazing. And hopefully less LBGTQ kids will feel less alone in this world and straight kids will be more accepting and less likely to bully.

So bring on the revised Ontario curriculum! Let’s have smart, safe, and kind children!