20 Things To Know About How Sex-Ed is Failing Our Girls
As women we have a special responsibility to talk to adolescent girls about sex. These talks are critical to helping them be prepared for the tsunami of challenges that they are going to face.
We all know that the culture has changed dramatically in the last 15 years with advent of social and digital media.
What we may not quite get, is how profoundly that has affected interactions between adolescents.
Parents often worry about their daughter succumbing to peer pressure in THEIR peer group. We worry about our girls feeling the pressure to meet the expectations of “whatever someone else is willing to do” in order to have a relationship with a boy.
Unfortunately, that may not be the only evolving standard.
The ubiquitous nature of online pornography has created expectations for sexual interactions at young ages. The altered body images on display in a variety of media, including video games, has set unhealthy standards for what girls should look like.
The lack of boundaries exhibited by some boys and young men in their interactions with girls, and their willingness to intimidate, humiliate and and pit girls against each other is apparent in visible. The sad FBI statistic that shows that there is an increase in perpetrators in younger age groups should have us very worried about the decreasing ages and normalization of assault.
So how can we prepare ourselves to have relevant conversations with our girls about their sexuality and to help them develop the strength to believe that they are enough?
Twenty Things I wish I had Learned in Sex-Ed (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0798NMB74/ref=cm_sw_em_r_mt_dp_U_rEXsDb6SDW4E3 ) is a book geared towards adolescent and young adult women. It was written by Miranda Pratt in the aftermath of a sexual assault on a college campus. The book focuses on some key topics including:
Real vs. Virtual Relationships
The importance of being yourself
Letting Go of shame
Dysfunctional Relationships
Practical advice if you are in an abusive relationship
What to do if you have been assaulted
I’m proud to say that Miranda is my daughter. Readers have been moved by the honesty with which she approaches topics that make many of us uncomfortable.
Check it out (Amazon has the Look Inside Feature) and if you think it will help, gift it to the girls and young women in your life. Then have a conversation! Be Well.
