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SEX FACTS AND ATTITUDES by MARION O . LERRIGO, PH.D. and H E L E N SOUTHARD, M.S. in consultation with MILTON J . E . SENN, M.D. 1958 William Heinemann Medical Books Ltd. London © AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION Ail rights reserved PRINTED MORRISON AND G I B B I N GREAT L I M I T E D , B R I T A I N L O N D O N B Y AND E D I N B U R G H CHAPTER 1 WHAT SEX IS T H E N A T U R E O F EDUCATION? Young Mr. and Mrs. Foster, theirfive-year-oldson, Billy, and two guests, Mr. and Mrs. Simpson, were viewing a television pro gram about the exciting life of the Wilson family. After the program, Billy turned to his father. "What happened. Daddy? The woman was just in bed, and now they have a baby?" Mrs. Foster later told her family physician about the incident. "It worries me a little," she confessed. "Mr. and Mrs. Simpson laughed so loud that Billy was embarrassed and started to cry. His father tried to change the subject, and hurried him off to bed. He didn't stop crying until after his bedtime story. I knew I had put off telling him where babies come from, so the next day I said, *Billy, would you like to know the story about how the baby came to the Wilson family?' And he said, *No, I don't like that story. People laugh at you.' So now what do I do, Doctor?" ATTITUDES ARE CATCHING This incident illustrates several useful points about sex educa tion. The attitudes of parents and other adults in contact with children are catching. Whether grown people look upon sex as a great creative force in life, or something to be hushed up, or regard it chiefly as the topic of dubious jokes, the children in their care are likely to reflect the adult point of view. This sharing of 10 Sex Facts and Attitudes attitudes and feelings is fully as important in sex education as the sharing of information. Consequently, adults need to be alive to their own feelings about sex as they guide the children and youth for whom they are responsible. By talking naturally with Billy about the expected birth of a baby in a neighboring family a few weeks after the above inci dent, Mr. and Mrs. Foster were able to overcome his fear that he would be laughed at if he again asked questions about babies. They realized, as their physician had pointed out, that it was more important for Billy to feel free to ask questions than to give him the facts about birth when he did not want to hear them. Sex education clearly involves much more than telling the facts of life. Some authorities believe that sex education is only as good as the attitudes it develops in children and youth about family life, marriage, babies, their ovm bodies, the way love is expressed, and members of the other sex. Sound attitudes in such matters encourage sex conduct that brings the rewards of self-respect, the likelihood of mutual happiness in marriage, and healthy family life. Emphasis on attitudes does not minimize the value of useful information about sex, but it does suggest that the circumstances of learning the facts are of great importance. The story of the passing of life from one generation to the next is full of wonder and beauty. When the facts are told with dignity, they may go far in themselves toward creating sound attitudes and feelings about sex. The home is the ideal place for telling the story of life, for par ents have a continuing relationship with their children on this subject, over many years, in developing attitudes, as well as in sharing information. They are the ones who care most about their children, and who provide a buffer against the outside world. In many homes, the parents do provide excellent guidance in the sex education of their children. Ot