In Ireland, relationships and sexuality education (RSE) is a module within Social Personal and Health Education, which has, since 2003, been a compulsory part of the Junior Cycle (students aged 12–16) curriculum. This is where students receive the majority of their Sex Education. The current curriculum has been in place since 1999 and is in dire need of an update. Legislation allows schools in Ireland to influence the ethos of how Sex education is being taught. As most schools in Ireland are run by the Catholic Church, there is a lack of teaching of topic with relation to LGBTQ relationships, gender identity, consent and sexual orientation. (Kelly, 2019)

For Primary schools in Ireland it is not compulsory for them to teach RSE and when we look at the statistics that show children are developing much faster than they did a century ago, it creates an issue. Some Girls are getting their periods before they are getting an education about them. There is no standardised SRE curriculum for primary schools, therefore the quality of a typical primary school child’s education about puberty is hard to predict.

“Currently, children are taught about puberty when aged about 11. Yet, the onset of puberty – which used to occur at 17 in the 17th century, and 15 a century ago – has now dropped to nine or 10.”  (Kirk, 2017)

The HSE provide Primary schools with a programme, called ‘Busy Bodies’. This is usually introduced around 5th and 6th class. The programme entails a booklet and a DVD dealing with all of the physical and emotional changes that children may experience during puberty. The main aim of the resource is to reassure children that puberty is a normal part of growing up and the booklet is designed to be used after the pupils have watched the ‘Busy Bodies’ DVD.

Unfortunately, there are some issues with the content in the booklet. The book is very limited to what Consent is. It explains consent as the age that you are legally old enough to have sex. In the booklet it states “It is not a good thing for people to have sex before they are grown up and ready for it. And for this reason, the law protects you from feeling any pressure about this, by making it illegal for anyone to have sex with a young person under 17. This means that you are not legally old enough to agree to (or consent to) having sex until you are at least 17.” (Busy Bodies, 2008).

It is implying that consent only happens when you are under the age of 17 when in fact consent is something we experience at every age with any person, not someone who is just “older”. It can be something as little as giving someone permission to hold your hand or touch your face. Every child must know they are entitled to their own say when it comes to people touching their bodies, if they feel uncomfortable they must know they can speak up. 

Another issue within Busy Bodies is the difference in how the changes for boys compared to girls is portrayed. The booklet describes erections as something that happens when boys become sexually excited resulting in the penis becoming harder and bigger. But when describing what the clitoris is for girls, there is no mention of “sexual excitement” or how the clitoris becomes larger, the same as a penis when girls are sexually excited. The booklet only states the clitoris as a “Fleshy bump near the urethra”. It describes erections for girls are easier to hide because they are “internal”. This is in no way a clear explanation to what happens to girls bodies. It’s as if girls need to feel ashamed of feeling any sexual desire. To make the idea of puberty even worse for girls the booklet says the one thing girls can be excited for is “Coping with Periods” Boys can get excited which leads to sexual feelings, but girls get to be excited about period pain? When Talking about sex, there is no mention of consent or sexual feelings all that’s needed for sex to take place is for a man’s penis to be erect and then for him to simply put it into a woman’s vagina.

“There is a hidden bias in this booklet that is sexist. Men can be sexual beings for pleasure, and sex happens when a man is actively sexually stimulated. Women are ‘excited’ to be fertile (get their periods), and to have sex, no physical change is apparently needed in their body.” (Woods, 2018)

Although the booklet provides the children with information on the changes to the body and sex with explaining how babies are made, it can not be the sole responsibility of the school to ensure children are getting the full education they need with regards to their bodies. Children should feel comfortable coming home to ask questions and get the answers they desire with someone they trust such as a parent or older sibling according to their values and beliefs. 

There is a stigma in Irish homes when openly talking about Sex and it seems to be the Irish mentality that the school will take care of it. But if some schools aren’t talking about it until the Junior Cycle at the ages of 12-16, this leaves it too late for young people if there are no conversations on the topic at home.  All it takes is one episode of The Simpsons for a child to see that Sex in media is clearly visible and easily accessible. Tv, internet and magazines have been increasingly sexualised over the past decade. Even with this change in our society it still leaves parents cringing at the thought of sitting their child down and talking about Puberty and Sex. It is not fair on young people today who are not receiving the information needed to feel comfortable and confident in their bodies.

“Being unable to fully comprehend the hormonal and emotional changes that are part and parcel of puberty, or what it can mean for them on a reproductive level, can have profound repercussions. It is perhaps no surprise that early puberty is linked to emotional and behavioural problems, as well as significant health issues such as an increased risk of diabetes, heart disease and other cardiovascular diseases, as well as cancer, later in life.” (Kirk, 2017)

It is alarming to hear the consequences of not getting a proper education on Puberty and Sex. With the help of schools and parents, the development of an app such as Let’s Talk can be a step in the right direction for this problem. 

References 

• Busy Bodies. (2008). [ebook] HSE South 2007. Available at: https://www.healthpromotion.ie/hp-files/docs/HPM00478.pdf [Accessed 04 Apr. 2019].
• Kelly, E. (2019). Sex education in Irish schools outdated – report. [online] RTE.ie. Available at: https://www.rte.ie/news/education/2019/0129/1026159-sex-education-schools/ [Accessed 04 Apr. 2019].
• Kirk, A. (2017). Are you ready for puberty?. [online] The Irish Times. Available at: https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/health-family/parenting/are-you-ready-for-puberty-1.3186378 [Accessed 4 Apr. 2019].
• Woods, C. (2018). Here’s the problem with how consent is taught to young Irish teenagers. [online] The Daily Edge. Available at: https://www.dailyedge.ie/busy-bodies-how-is-consent-taught-to-young-irish-teenagers-3929025-Mar2018/ [Accessed 4 Apr. 2019].

To form the basis of what each age group is recommend to know I looked at articles which gave a review of an age by age guide to Sex Education based on child sexual development and keeping children healthy and safe.

For Babies, this would be ages 0-24 months, they are taught the names of their body parts. This includes the Penis and Vulva. They are told it is okay to touch their body parts but only in private and never in public as it is inappropriate. Knowing the difference between boys and girls body parts and what each part does too.

“The end goal is for your child to be comfortable with their whole body and to see all parts as being equal (with no shame).”

During Early Childhood, ages 2-5 years old, they learn about correct names for body parts, the similarities between boys and girls, such as nipples/bottoms/noses/hands. They are told its okay to be different and that our bodies can tell us what we are feeling like being tired, hungry or sad.

Privacy is introduced with learning things such as, not showing your private parts in public or when people outside of family are at home. Other people’s privacy must be respected like when going to the toilet you must knock if the door is shut. Conversations about bodies and for at home in private with their parents. They must know touching themselves is okay but that there is a time and place for it.

If they ask where do babies come from, they can be told that a baby grows inside the woman – uterus or baby bag or even tummy. Both a man and a woman are needed to make a baby and  you need a part from a man (cell or sperm) and a part from a woman (cell or egg) to make a baby. To explain how the baby comes out, explain that it comes out of the woman’s stomach or through her vagina. They must know that making babies is for adults and not for kids to do.

Body ownership and touching is introduced by explaining they have the right to say who can touch their body, That it is not okay to hug or touch someone if they don’t want you to (and vice versa), remind them that sometimes there are reasons for an adult to look at or touch their body, like a doctor or nurse.

“Preschoolers are the easiest age to teach. They are like empty sponges, ready to soak up information about anything and everything. If they haven’t had an explanation that makes sense to them, they will use their imagination to make up their own reason.”

Middle Childhood, ages 5-8 years old start to know what words to use for both boys and girls body parts and have some knowledge about internal reproductive organs. They learn that bodies come in all different shapes, sizes and colours. Both boys and girls have body parts that may feel good when touched and they must be able to look after their own body i.e. private parts, hair, teeth, skin, etc.

They are given and introduction to Puberty and told their bodies will change as they get older. Sexual Intercourse is spoken about by explaining a baby is made when sperm leaves the man through his penis and goes into the woman’s vagina. They then find their way to the place where the egg is. The egg and the sperm then join together, and grow into a baby. They should know that adults have sex and that it’s a natural, normal and healthy part of life.

Sexual Behaviour is covered also, including masturbation and that there are different sexual orientations such as heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual.

Late Childhood, ages 9-12 years old, is where all the above topics are spoken about but with more detail. In relation to Puberty they must know what physical, social and emotional changes to expect with puberty, Girls need to know be prepared for their first period, Boys need to know about ejaculation and wet dreams.That fertility happens once girls start having periods and boys start producing semen and that both boys and girls are able to have babies after they have reached puberty.

In relation to Sexual Behaviour, basic information about STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections) should be explained as they may hear about them – sometimes you can catch infections when you have sexual intercourse but there are ways to make sex safer. Include basic information about how to avoid pregnancy, when it is ok to become sexually active, and they may develop feeling for their peers once puberty starts.

Knowing what the recommended topics to talk to your child about at each stage of their life can be helpful when they start asking questions or when you feel like they should know more about their body. This guide can also be taken into account when using Let’s Talk to talk to their child about Puberty and Sex. Having an app may take some of the pressure off the parent to get everything perfect. They can chose specific chapters they feel is necessary in the the app that suits the child’s current age.

References

Hakanson, C. (2016). My Kid Needs to Know What? An Age By Age Guide to Sex Education – And What to Do! (by Cath Hakanson) –. [online] Heysigmund.com. Available at: https://www.heysigmund.com/kid-needs-know-age-age-guide-sex-education/ [Accessed 28 Mar. 2019].