Talking about sex with your children

Go to the following website and check out the information on talking about sex with your kids. How does the advice given on this website compare to how you learned about sex?? How does the way that a person talks about sex to her/his children communicate attitudes about sex?? How does it communicate attitudes about sex in the culture??

The advice on the website encourages parents to be very open about sex with their children. Yet they do remind you to be age appropriate with your comments and the information that you provide. No one really told me about sex when I was growing up. I attended a private religious school so the topic of sex was taboo, and my parents are very conservative and so we never had any discussions about sex. I feel that the way a parent talks to their child about sex can really convey their own comfort level about sex. Some cultures don't believe in sex before marriage so therefore they would have no need to have any of these types of conversations.

parents

My parents actually met on a blind date. I don't think that it was love at first sight, I think that love is something that develops over time. They are very alike in some ways as far as cleanliness, morals, and ideas on life. The things that I looked for in a potential partner before I married my husband were-good provider(emotional&financial), motivated, orderly,clean,independent and attractive. Physical attraction and character definitely play a role in partner selection. To me being religious or having spiritual conviction wasn't that important. Some of my ideas about my partner have changed over time(we've been married for almost 9 years). Now that we have a child I tend to put more emphasis on him being a good father(which he is!). I'm sure that as we reach different touch-points in our lives my ideas about what is important will continue to evolve. But for right now I'm happy with where we are.

Valentine's Day

Unfortunately, I think that Valentine's Day is highly overrated. I don't really have any valentine traditions. I do still remember back in elementary school giving out cards and bringing a nicely decorated container in which to put all of the valentine's that I received. I think that as long as the valentine exchange is handled properly I don't see any harm in it. I don't know how much children really learn about love from this process. However, I do think that it does teach them to treat all of their classmates in the same manner. In the unfortunate case that not everyone brings valentines or gets a valentine this can become a tough lesson in how accepting other children can be. Personally I don't feel any pressure or anxiety about this holiday but I guess if I were single I might.

Gender in Society

I would have to say that I definitely think that gender roles in society are changing. I think of females being strong yet dependent, beautiful, delicate, and independent. The male role is more dominant, powerful, provider, and strong. The females tend to be more small in stature, while males are larger and more powerful physically (typically). The roles that we play in society are ever evolving. I can remember that for the most part of my childhood my mom stayed at home while my dad was the only source of income that we had. Nowadays most households are two income households. The females tend to be the primary caregivers to the children yet they now have a new responsibility:working. I am lucky because I only work part time. I just don't know how some women can maintain a full time job and a non-chaotic house full of children. Sometimes I wish that I could be a stay at home mom, but on the other hand I think I could end up going stir crazy. Since I worked so hard to enter my career and all that goes with it, working part time is a happy medium for me. I do have a problem with some of the stigma that society currently is imposing on each gender. After watching the Tough Guise video clip ,I have started to look at TV in a new light. Men are typically always portrayed as tough and able to get the upper hand through violence. Women are shown as needing the man to protect her and she is not seen as an equal.