Sexuality Education at Home

            2 years ago,  I conducted a study entitled, Adolescents' Perception of Parental Communication about Sexuality, which I presented during the National Seminar on Combating Sexual Violence for a Better Society at Samtse College of Education and later got published in the RABSEL - the CERD Educational Journal after a rigorous blind peer-review process. 

                The study was conducted to

i) Explore the adolescents’ perceptions of parental communication about sexuality;  

ii) Examine if the gender of the parents influenced the gender of adolescents in terms of having sexuality communication and

iii) Determine the main source of sexuality communication.

            The findings revealed that there was infrequent communication regarding sexuality between adolescents and parents. Interestingly, of the frequent sexual communication that transpired at home, it was the mothers who have done their roles as compared to the fathers. Likewise, sexuality communication was relatively higher in frequency between female adolescents and mothers. Both male and female adolescents perceived mothers as the main source of sexual communication.

            This study has a high bearing particularly in the context of today’s global awareness day of Menstrual Hygiene Day because the information on menstruation was one component incorporated under the construct of human growth and development in my study. 

"Breaking the silence" - Boys showing the support

            Unlike other societies, there is not much literature in Bhutan on considering menstruation as a social, cultural, or religious taboo. But in general, sexuality communication at home is seldom an affair due to its nature of being delicate and sensitive. While adolescence is the transition period of human life that is exposed to numerous life-changing or life-threatening situations, as parents, it is only apt that we provide them with the required support to make informed choices about their physiological and psychological health and well-being. 

Counselor Choki highlights the importance of good menstrual hygiene

            Literature has it that the onset of consistent sexuality education at home can drastically narrow the incidents of negative health consequences such as unhealthy relationships, unwanted pregnancies, illegitimate children and sexually transmitted diseases to name a few. It is high time to consider that the knowledge of sexuality is important not only for adults but is vital for adolescents as well. After all, when adolescents suffer, it is the nation’s asset that is often threatened.

            Thus, it is not only menstruation that requires awareness, the priority has to be in general to improve the knowledge of the sexual and reproductive health of young people. Parents must not shy away to initiate sexuality education at home. In the end, it is sexuality education that assists adolescents to channel their sexual instinct in the right direction, appreciating physical growth, accepting sexual facts and thus living a healthier and happier life.

“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough” – Albert Einstein.