Some things are best spread by word of mouth

[highlyeccentric]

Sometime earlier this year, via a series of word-of-mouth recommendations, I stumbled across Caitlain's Corner.
I quote from her site front page:

The web site is designed to provide honest, legitimate sex education to pre-teens, teens and young adults so that they can grow up with a safe, healthy appreciation for sex and their sexuality!...
Caitlain's Corner is about more than just "sex," though. It is a comprehensive look at your sexuality. We'll teach you the techniques, but more importantly, we're going to put sex into context for you - we'll help you figure out and deal with the tremendous number of variables that go into defining who you are sexually. Whether you realize it or not, your sexuality is, and always will be, one of the central components of your "self." We're going to arm you with the information you need to make sure you make safe, informed, rational decisions about sex.

And she actually does it. CC has articles on everything from how to ask for a first date to "selecting and using strap-ons" and a whole lot in between. Everything, even things which might normally be considered outlandish, is presented in the same matter-of-fact and accessible manner. The practical advice is far and above anything I ever found in the Puberty Guidebooks i read as a teenager. She's very clear that she designed the site as an anti-dote to abstinence only sex-ed, but I see no reason why her information should be any less useful to those who plan on having only marital sex. A wedding certificate doesn't come with any kind of advice on what to do LATER.

Caitlan's Corner is good stuff. Read it yourselves, and/or recommend it to any young people in your aquaintance.

Comments

[goblinpaladin.livejournal.com]

"A wedding certificate doesn't come with any kind of advice on what to do LATER."

That is a really, really good point.

[highlyeccentric.livejournal.com]

a (the?) major problem with abstinence-only sex education, as far as I can tell. It assumes that sex just magically happens both on your wedding night and until death do you part, and so you don't need to know anything about it. Or about, y'know, managing intimacy and stuff.
Or perhaps it assumes that Someone Else will talk you through that later on. But that relies on you actually being in a church/ family which deals systematically with that sort of thing.

Far better to talk teenagers through it sensibly and thoroughly so that they have something to work with, whenever it is that they start having sex.

[goblinpaladin.livejournal.com]

It is a problem, but certainly not THE. THE problem is that teenagers tend to have sex anyway, and with abstinence-only education, they are ill-equipped to do so. Many pregnancies and STIs could be avoided if they were given better education to go with the abstinence stuff.

However, it does assume "that sex just magically happens both on your wedding night and until death do you part, and so you don't need to know anything about it. Or about, y'know, managing intimacy and stuff." And that is BAD. So you are RIGHT.

[highlyeccentric.livejournal.com]

well, it's the LOGIC problem. the practical problem is the kids-have-sex-anyway thing. But this, this is a LOGIC problem which brings the whole edifice down. Even if the kids don't have sex, you have still failed them.

[goblinpaladin.livejournal.com]

Even if the kids don't have sex, you have still failed them.

Spread the word of this: highlyeccentric speaks words of wisdom.

[highlyeccentric.livejournal.com]

yeah, and i occaisionally even wield LOGIC.