Sex education: To teach or not to teach

Most parents concentrate on giving sex education the to girl-child and neglect the boys.
Others completely keep off the topic that they term controversial yet this is a reality that needs to be tackled head on.
According to Annet Nakazibwe, a teacher and acounsellor, parents need to stop burying their heads in the stand and teach their children about sex, however, controversial they might view the subject.
Take time off during this holiday to teach your children about sex, especially those between 10 and 15 years because this is the time they are exposed to sexual harassment,” she says.
Parents, she says, need to caution children as well as empower them on key issues that that govern their lives including hygiene and how they need to relate with strangers.

Wash their genitals
Gorret Betty Mbabazi is a nurse and through her profession she has learnt to appreciate cleanliness that she empasises among her children.
But beyond the cleanliness she has to emphasise that they have a right over their bodies and “no one should touch them in a manner that is inappropriate”.

Give them self-confidence.
Children need to be confident about their bodies and they should “Always be reminded how beautiful or handsome they,” according to Margret Tumusiime, a counselor

Teach them about “no” and “stop”
There is this joke of some people not knowing how to say no. However, according to Aisha Kabanyoro, a mother of one, children need to know when to tell someone no and stop because it shields them from manipulation.
“If someone is doing something that’s making them uncomfortable they should reject it and their feeling be respected with immediate effect,” she says.

Fathers should talk to boys
Boys are rarely at the risk of being abused sexually but again they need to be guided, according to Nakazibwe.
This, she says should be done by their fathers, especially when they are approaching teenage hood where they should be reminded that the body changes that they are experiencing is normal.

Let them say yes or no in everyday choices
There cannot be a middle ground and as such children should be taught how to say no, which according, Christine Nalule, a mother of four saves them from making regrettable choices.

Makes friends with child
Children too have problems, however, troublesome they might not be, give them an ear which will bring them closer, according to Nalule.

Help create empathy
Children, according to Sarah Kawidi, a mother of three, need to be taught the virtue of helping others as well as saying sorry
“Children need to be taught at a young age that helping is important and valuable,” she says.
Teach them “about good” and “bad touch”
The world has become so sinister, therefore, according to Kawidi, you need to alert your children.
“Not everyone one, be it their relatives, should just touch them anyhow. This is important as children must be protected from wrong elements,” she says.