There has been lots of media coverage today about our countries (UK) Sex Education in schools. The stastics for Teenage Pregnancies and STD's are still shocking.
Whilst everyone argues about the rights and wrongs of how we are tackling it, people are looking to other countries for inspiration. The Netherlands has a very different attitude towards Sex and this has proven to be successful in reducing unwanted pregnancies and the transfer of sexual diseases. Someone made a very valid point about how the Netherlands tackle this issue. They have a very different set of family values. For example: familes sit and talk to each other.
UK culture has obviously taken quite a battering over the 40/50 years. My grandma used to tell me stories about her younger days and how family was important. She used to talk about 'extended familes' and how friends and neighbours would rally around to help each other. Of course life was very different in those days.
It seems a shame that we have lost some of that. Although I've never had a particularly close relationhip with my family. It's clear that we need to set the seeds of cultural change sooner or later, because we are not heading for a positive future unless we change how society views each other.
My friend and colleague Lisa told me a funny story this morning. Her husband and teenage son Sam were shopping in Boots the chemist. Sam noticed a large display of condoms and asked his dad about the different types. His dad was quite embarrassed, but in spite of that he answered the question as best as he could. The story made me chuckle, but then I thought about how fantastic it must be to have that kind of relationship with your dad. I would have never asked my dad a question like that. They are a very close family and it's clear to me that they will always confide in each other, even when tackling difficult subjects such as Sex Ed. Maybe some of us Brits do have a Netherlands attitude towards sex after all?
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