Now we’re banning Dictionaries in School?
I just came across this article from The Guardian, that talks about how certain schools in the Southern California area in the United States are banning dictionaries because they have a definition for oral sex.
Am I the only one who thinks this is a little over the top?
If our children are smart enough to go to a dictionary and look up a word that they don’t understand, I should think that’s a good thing! It’s far better than the alternative of going to the internet, or feeling too afraid to talk to a trusted adult.
I see examples more and more of parents not explaining all the ins and outs of life and sex and everything in between. But with children becoming more exposed to this {being life/love/sex/etc} at a younger age as we advance technologically, this is something we cannot sweep under the rug. TV, texting, computers, and media have dramatically changed how fast young people are maturing these days.
I feel that I was lucky in the way that I felt comfortable enough to ask my mother anything. When I was in grade seven, a boy called another boy a dildo. I had never heard the term, so that day when I came home I asked my mum what it was. And instead of freaking out, or saying I was too young, or making complaints against the school, she just told me. Matter of fact.
Another time I was listening to Alanis Morissette who was very popular at the time with Jagged Little Pill being played all over the radio’s and I heard the phrase, “wine, dine and 69″ or whatever it is. So once again, I asked my mum what “69′”ing meant and she told me.
I think that if the child is asking the question, then he or she is ready to hear the answer.
What do you think?
Originally published at Crumpled Paper. You can comment here or there.