Annahilated

oh what a summer!

Aiieyaa! I just learned today that soyoung's 7 months pregnant. My 'so-called-friend' chris neglected to tell me they're pregnant. He claims he did, but I'm sure I would remember such news. I'm so happy for them- a new baby, oh wow! The down side is I won't be seeing them this summer. gee...

Tin's flying to the States on the 30th. It's a short working trip, but she'll be gone for most of the summer too. Dang, and I was looking forward to watching those foreign films in Instituto Cervantes and Alliance Francaise with her, not to mention spending Sunday afternoons in airconditioned museum.

It seems like the only the only things I'll look forward to this summer are surgery (oh god, I can't put it off any longer and it's scaring me) and release of grades. Things I don't particularly relish.

posted by annahilated @ 2:02 AM 2 comments

Let’s talk about sex

Should sex education be taught in grade school? But really, why not? I don’t see anything wrong with making adolescents aware of reproductive health issues. Puberty commences at the age of 10 and the changes happening in their’ bodies are not something that they can ignore. Those changes bring about consequences. Allowing them information at a younger age would empower them to make better, more responsible choices. Traditional Filipino parents are touchy about discussing the subject of reproduction. Some fathers have a rather unusual take on it. They think that the way to teach their boys about the 'birds and the bees' is to take them to strip clubs (just what kind of values are they trying to impart on their kids?). Adolescents, to their detriment, are quite resourceful. Won’t it be better if responsible adults teach them what they need to know? That does not mean giving them just about any information, but age-appropriate ones and within a context. If schools provide then with information, adolescents need not go seeking answers from places and people who might not necessarily provide them the ‘right’ ones.

Besides, sex education in grade school is nothing new. Really. It was part of our fourth grade health education curriculum. It was basically about the reproductive system/cycle, and the changes happening to our bodies during puberty. Of course, when you talk about the reproductive system, you naturally touch on the topic of reproductive process. It's not the kind that parents picture it to be (there is a difference between grade school and college-age sex education curriculum afterall); the most graphic visual aid is the human anatomy chart ( i don' t think there is anything objectionable on that, is there?). Related issues of family planning, natural and artificial contraception and sexually transmissible diseases were also tackled. Through it all, it was reiterated by the teacher that physical intimacy should be in the context of a marital relationship. Whether that last one is actually taken to heart is pretty much left to the discretion of the students. But the important thing is- we were made aware of the possible consequences of our actions. I'd like to think that we are more sexually responsible adults because of it.

* my two-cents worth to a news i heard a few days ago that DepEd is planning to add 'sex education' to the grade school' curriculum. being that i heard it while in a taxicab, there is a possibility that i might have dreamt it.

posted by annahilated @ 1:31 AM 0 comments