What Are They Teaching In These Schools?

[bloodyrosemccoy]

Birthday of the Buddha (Buddhist)
Children's Day (Florida)
Hana Matsuri (Flower Festival - Japan)

Once again, it has come to my attention that as far as educating her kids goes, my mom is a crazy hippie.

 

See, it turns out that explaining menstruation to your daughter before she menstruates, or explaining it to your son at all, is something crazy hippies do, and not ordinary sane parents.

 

From what I got in Group Discussion in my gender and folklore class, it seems that what ordinary sane parents do is keep the information TOP SECRET until the child is in fifth grade or so, when the elementary school hosts a program in which girls go into one side of the gym and boys to the other, and the fifth graders spend the rest of the week giggling. Nobody in the lower grades was even allowed into the program.

 

I remember when my school had this program. Mom said I didn’t have to go, since I knew it already. I asked what they’d learn, and was surprised at the answer.  I couldn’t remember when I hadn’t known about having a period, and the first time I got mine I thought, “Huh, so that’s what it’s about,” and went on with things.  I wasn’t particularly embarrassed; I sneaked around to change pads, but I thought it was kinda fun if I thought of it at all. Hadn’t the other kids mothers told them what to expect?  Wasn’t that sort of basic?

 

It didn’t really sink in until we were all talking about it in class yesterday, though. I’d never thought it was so very crazy, but listening to the other kids, I started to realize how lucky I was to get the basics of what the hell would go on, without any frills or added baggage of shame.  Apparently, that's crazy and hippie.  And I am very, very glad it's the way I learned it.  Thanks, Mom!