Ilustrasi foto Ibu dan Anak (Thinkstock)
As the closest party to children, parents have a very important role in prohibiting sexuality education from an early age. However, sometimes the relationship between parents and children is not open and the stigma of society that still considers it taboo makes it difficult to have conversations about this with children.
Waode Hamsia, a lecturer and observer of children at the University of Muhammadiyah Surabaya (UM Surabaya), explained that it is important to teach sexuality education to children from an early age. It is important for parents to open up about the anatomy of the body to the function of the reproductive organs.
"Parents must have full awareness to provide education, because knowledge instilled from an early age will make children understand to recognize their own bodies, understand the function of the reproductive organs, to the risks of sexual intercourse," said Waode Wednesday (16/3/22)
Waode further explained, in Indonesia until today there is no specific curriculum for sex education in schools. Meanwhile, cases of sexual violence continued to increase and only a few victims reported it. So that the role of parents is needed in educating in a positive way, without taboos or fear
“Teaching children about sexuality and consent in the family environment must be done with a gender-neutral approach. This concept must also be taught to all children, both boys and girls,” he explained again.
Waode explained that parents can start teaching sex education to children according to their age or with simple things, such as introducing the reproductive organs and not using terms like birds or peanuts.
"If children less than 3 years teach about their body parts including the penis and vagina, don't disguise it with other terms. Inform children about gender differences and slowly introduce the functions of their body parts, for example, where does urine come from,” explained Waode.
Waode also added that if children aged 3-4 years parents can start communicating about the names of body parts and their functions. Instill about the boundaries of body parts that can be shown and not. Emphasize understanding of who can and cannot touch her body. Parents should also get used to asking permission when they want to touch parts of the child's body.
"When children are 6-9 years old, teach them how to refuse when other people want to touch their bodies, start opening discussions about changes in body shape and puberty. If a child is aged 10-12 years, instill in children that puberty is not something that is embarrassing to discuss and also teach them to understand boundaries and respect the privacy of others," he added.
At the end of his statement, Waode emphasized that when children reach 13-15 years of age, parents must be more open. Provide an understanding of the risks of having sex both physically and mentally.
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