2nd grade....the end of Innocence

    I can't remember 2nd grade or that year of my youth very well. What I can remember is that I don't think any kind of sex was at the top of my "To Do" list. I was more interested in Tonka trucks, Legos or Lincoln Logs. It was an age of innocence where the only thing of interest to me was playing with my toys, playing hide and seek, tag, or watching Warner Bros. cartoons.

    So, with disgust, horror and disbelief, I read that some 2nd grade students were having oral sex. This wasn't happening in a sand box or in a bedroom or, for that matter, in any place at home. Nope! This took place in a classroom! A teacher was present and somehow didn't notice that this was happening or that there was an issue regarding behavior that needed to be addressed prior to the act. This is not an indictment of all teachers. I have some friends who are teachers and they are attentive and great at what they do. To me, something smells here. I won't make a judgement just yet as there is more to discover about how all this happened but I think it is safe to say that someone dropped the ball.

    First, as always, we have to ask the question of how a 7 year old would know about oral sex? Where did they get this information? How responsible are we, as parents and a society, for allowing access to sexual content. After all, the first line of education starts at home, right? Parents have the responsibility to raise children with morals and ethics as well as regulating what they are exposed to and teaching the difference between right and wrong. Once they leave the house and walk onto the school grounds, we expect and trust the faculty of the school to educate, protect and see to the overall welfare of our children just as we would if we were the faculty ourselves.

    Somehow it seems that all sides have failed in this instance. To what degree each is responsible for this travesty we will find with time and knowledge. There may be much more here than we could ever imagine. Lets hope that both parents and school faculty everywhere take notice on what is happening beneath our very noses and in front of our eyes.

     It is past time that we start taking some responsibility for what we expose our children to. Be great parents, teachers and human beings by paying attention and thinking of potential consequences of what we display for kids to see and hear. Think about what you say and do. Think about what you watch or listen to on TV, movies or radio/music when they are present. Remember....it is not just your eyes, ears and brains that are watching, listening and absorbing the information.... it is also the little guy or girl next to you.