What was sex-ed like for you?

[Army of One]

I'll separate this from the "Toys" thread before we derail it.

Back when I was in high school (late 90s-early 2000's), we had two short shots of sex ed. And they were...stuffy, to put it politely. We didn't learn how to put on condoms, the sex part was very clinical, anal sex was said to be "wrong"...and this was in a government school, too. The most interesting part of it, in fact, was the chatter by all of us (all-boys school; keep this in mind) that we would've loved to have had "practical lessons" with students from the all-girls school in town.

So yeah, a lot of us boys learnt about sex from one or both of two sources: porn (virtually all of us), and actually fucking a girl (less than those who claimed so).

I look back on my own sex ed nowadays and see it as quite restricted and uncomfortable. Nobody wanted to teach a classroom full of hormonal boys how to do the act, let alone the necessary intricacies adjacent to the act. I've had to learn a lot, and am still learning.

So, I want to know: what was your sex ed like at school? What do you wish you had learnt then? If given the chance, how would you change it now? What would you like children nowadays to know about sex and sexual relationships?

[_priapism]

Moved from Toys...

When my oldest got ready for “the talk,“ I went out and bought a number of books, and decided I was going to be the “cool dad,“ and tell him anything he wanted to know. He promptly advised me that there was nothing I could tell him that he needed to know, and to *please* STFU. At the same time, his younger brother found all the books, and took them to his room. He read them all cover to cover, and had an encyclopedia knowledge of sexual matters.  He became quite popular with his friends. My older one is still trying to figure out what hole to put it in. LOL.

The Texas Sex Ed program is called “Worth the Wait (WTW)” and just laughable.  Which is also why Texas has some of the highest teen pregnancy numbers in the nation.

[MintJulie]

Copied from the Toy category that Army mentioned...

I'll admit to being wholly ignorant of the Australian education system, but in my high school, the most risque they got was putting a condom on a banana.

We got the animation film of a boy putting a condom on.  Then after the film, the teacher held up an unrolled condom so we could see what it was like.  It was all so awkward.

At a sleep over, a friend's older sister showed us how to put a condom on a cucumber using only her mouth.   I tried and was unsuccessful as were the other two that tried.  We had a lot of laughs that night.  

[MintJulie]

I remember vividly when we got to the STD section during the 2 day class.  Real pictures of sores on both men on women genitalia was shown.   SO GROSS.  A girl in the class raised her hand and asked, "All penis's aren't that small, are they?"   After the laughter died down, the teacher explained they come in all shapes and sizes.  Then another girl asked if it was true that black guys were a lot bigger than white guys.  More laughter.  The teacher didn't answer. It was dark in the room because of the slide show, but I swear I could see our teacher blushing.

[MissBarbara]

Apologies for derailing that other thread, and thanks to the Mods for pointing that out.

As I mentioned over there, we had sex ed. classes, to varying degrees of content, in middle school and high school. The middle school version was taught by the science teacher, and it was very by the book, more like an anatomy class.

In high school, the split up the boys and girls into separate groups, and, as I recall, they had classes for one period for a week. It covered a lot of information, both anatomy, STD prevention, condom use, the reproductive cycle, and the like. The teacher who led the class was very warm and sympathetic, and that helped.

I also benefited from the fact that my mom and I had several frank discussions on these topics when I was [I don't think if I can mention my age here]. I was the youngest of four kids and the only girl, so I guess my mom thought this was "her moment." It was hugely beneficial to me, both in terms of information and emotional preparedness, and I think I was better informed than most of my peers.

In fact, when the moment arrived, I can honestly say that I made the decision with full freedom and full willingness. I chose to do it, and I wanted to do it. Of course, even though our discussions were long and thorough, there were some details she left out, and I had to discover those -- much to my surprise -- on my own.

[watcher1]

There were no sex education classes in high school when I attended in the 60s. We had health class but that never touched on anything the least bit sexual. Like many of us of that era, we learned sex education on the streets from friends.

[Dirtymind]

We had nothing.  Computer monitors showed 4 shades of orange. Up to age 14 I though nipples were square and orange. 

[MissBarbara]

There were no sex education classes in high school when I attended in the 60s. We had health class but that never touched on anything the least bit sexual. Like many of us of that era, we learned sex education on the streets from friends.

Well, you're so old, sex hadn't even been invented yet when you were in high school!

[msslave]

None...nada...zippo. Was not talked about in school or at home. I didn't have many close friends to help educate me. Internet not even a dream. Occasionally I'd peek at a Playboy.

My first orgasm was a total accident and I didn't even know what happened. Just that it felt really good! Soon found out how to do it on purpose.

Was 18 before I touched my first breast...19 when I got my dick wet.  The sixties we're a different time...at least the first half.

I've made up for lost time and still get to fool around once in a while.

[Shiela_M]

Sex ed was in junior high.  The schools physician had a presentation of sorts.  Was a two day ordeal, one day for all the boys, and the next day was for all the girls.  Was in the auditorium where she showed slides and pictures of men and women.  Like the xray pics where is shows the insides with all the labels.  Had a cartoon like clip of insertion and all the tidbits about losing one virginity. it was surprisingly thorough.

[watcher1]

There were no sex education classes in high school when I attended in the 60s. We had health class but that never touched on anything the least bit sexual. Like many of us of that era, we learned sex education on the streets from friends.

Well, you're so old, sex hadn't even been invented yet when you were in high school!

Gee, now you make me feel really old.      I would like to thank all the horny Catholic school girls we always hung around with for being wonderful sex educators.....

[Jed_]

MissB might mean me.  I have no memory of sex ed.  I’m vaguely sure there was such a thing, just no recollection of what it entailed.  A demonstration of a condemn on a banana I would have remembered.  Being split up in boy and girl teams I would remember too.

[MintJulie]

I remember after the class, when all the girls came out of class into the hall to our lockers, and then the boys came out.  Both guys and girls were all looking at the other sex like they were aliens. 

[Jed_]

I remember after the class, when all the girls came out of class into the hall to our lockers, and then the boys came out.  Both guys and girls were all looking at the other sex like they were aliens. 

[Army of One]

I remember after the class, when all the girls came out of class into the hall to our lockers, and then the boys came out.  Both guys and girls were all looking at the other sex like they were aliens. 

And how many stereotypes did this contribute to?

[purpleshoes]

Watcher and I are nearly the same age (although I'm the older and wiser), and my experience is similar to his. Nothing in the schools. My mom (not my dad) gave me several pamphlets that ranged from somewhat informative to comically funny.

I remember asking her about something I thought I had learned from the material. "So mom, girls can't get pregnant until they get married?" She cleared that up right away.

I didn't know what a clitoris was/is until I was in my 50s. I'm still learning things I should have known in my teens. Who knows what else my knowledge is deficient of.

Miss Barbara, every generation thinks they invented sex and can't imagine 'old' people doing it, at least until that awful day they realize that their parents must have had sex or they wouldn't exist.

[_priapism]

I was sexually precocious, and my dad was a medical student who had all kinds of books and diagrams, so I basically ran Sex Ed in the neighborhood growing up.  Picture a group of kids laying in a circle looking at medical illustrations...



Since dad was going to be an ob/gyn, a lot of these diagrams also showed speculums and forceps, tongs, clips, clamps and tweezers pulling various parts of the human anatomy this way or that for closer inspection... probably the origins of my medical fetish.

So when “health week” rolled around in the sixth grade, we were pretty bored by the physiology part.  We were told about the menstrual cycle and ovulation in a rather perfunctory manner.  We were provided a glimpse into the owners manual.  A little bit of knowledge.  Zero understanding.

So most of what I got after that was from reading banned books and Penthouse letters.  I kind of feel sorry for kids these days who get their education watching Pornhub.  I saw a study that said younger adults think a blowjob is required for foreplay, and a facial is how coitus is concluded.

[Army of One]

So most of what I got after that was from reading banned books and Penthouse letters.  I kind of feel sorry for kids these days who get their education watching Pornhub.  I saw a study that said younger adults think a blowjob is required for foreplay, and a facial is how coitus is concluded.

Oh dear gods. I'm guessing that same study also said that many males feel they need to the dominant partner in a relationship, and the girls the submissive one. While blame should also be clearly aimed at religious leaders who push this teaching, it's true also that porn hasn't helped there.

[MintJulie]

I heard on a radio show recently that younger males are spending so much time looking at and reading porn, by 25 some things just are not stimulating enough for them to get erect. They're having a hard time getting turned on.   

Will try and find it in print.

[_priapism]

I heard on a radio show recently that younger males are spending so much time looking at and reading porn, by 25 some things just are not stimulating enough for them to get erect. They're having a hard time getting turned on.   

Will try and find it in print.

Yeah I hear a lot of stuff like that from my kids too. There seems to be an awful lot of sexual ambiguity and confusion. There’s also a lot of gender issues, and a general rejection of binary sexual identity. So it seems to be popular to just refrain from labeling yourself or anyone else. Which seems strange to me now, because things were very different 30 or 40 years ago when I was a horny young man. I just can’t imagine what it’s like to be a young person now. They don’t date, they have seriously strange meeting and mating rituals. And of course nothing is done until unless bloodwork and condoms first.