Lady Heather - posted on 09/14/2011 ( 35 moms have responded )
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"Internationally recognized days are meant to raise awareness of weighty topics. But what if your children are too young to handle them?
A Toronto father says he was stunned to find mention of sex workers, female genital mutilation and Palestinian solidarity in his six-year-old son’s school-issued student planner, the National Post reports.
Jaak Purres said these references, which were marked in the planner as “Days of Significance,” such as International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers on Dec. 17 and the International Day of Zero-Tolerance on Female Genital Cutting/Mutilation on Feb. 6, were inappropriate for a child of his son’s age.
...Kathleen Gallagher, professor of education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at University of Toronto, told the Post the inclusion of difficult subjects in the student planner could be seen as a positive thing.
“[S]ometimes these prompts provide an opportunity, however difficult, for parents and children to have important conversations,” she said. “And when it’s instituted in a calendar, it’s more likely that a child might ask their parent because walking around in the world, a child is going to encounter those ideas.” "
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/the-...
Okay, I am pretty open about things sex-related and will definitely have had some anatomical and biological discussions with my daughters by the time they are 6, but this is just too much for me. I do not feel like I want to talk about prostitution with a 6 year old, and no, I don't expect my little one to be "encountering those ideas" at such a young age. I'm quite sure I was not aware of prostitution at that age and I'm glad. And how exactly do you talk about genital mutilation with a 6 year old and not give them nightmares? This can't wait until after elementary school?
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