Pressure

I feel so much pressure today. Yesterday afternoon I attended an parent-information meeting at the school. In a few weeks, the 5th graders are going to have some lessons on puberty and adolescence. And a lesson on HIV/AIDS.

I remember in 5th grade having the film telling us how our bodies work. Girls were in one classroom, boys in the other. But I don't remember seeing the boy film. At DD's school they will see both the boy and girl films. Does my 10-year-old really need to know what a "nocturnal emission" is right now? (In the film they also mention the more common name for it).

Then in the HIV/AIDS lesson, not only will they teach about safe sex but they will demonstrate the proper use of a condom. Um, excuse me, my 10-year-old doesn't need to know that yet.

I know lots of parents who have "the talk" with their kids at 8-years-old, or within the next few years. Our approach with DD has been a little bit of info at a time. Instead of sitting down and giving all the information at once, we've taken it step-by-step so she can absorb what we've told her at that time.

But now I feel like we have to do a crash course because of the presentations coming up at school. We can opt her out of the lessons--she would go to the library and work on other health-related issues. But you know her friends will be talking about it.

I'm just not ready. I hate feeling this kind of pressure. I understand there are kids in her class going through puberty right now--but couldn't the sex ed and HIV/AIDS info come next year or in 7th grade?

Maybe I'm just naive. Maybe it is because she is my first child and we haven't been through it before.

Any advice/opinions you can share with me would be awesome!