Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-08-05

fresh, innocent appearance even
courtroom attendants were as
founded. An experienced lawyer
came out into the corridor with
a worried look. All he said was,
81 have a daughter 49,"
It Is natural for parents OF
teen-agers to be concerned
about sex delinquency Just as
it is natural for parents of
7-year-olds to be concerned
about crossing streets. There is
danger involved. and-just as
with crossing streets-it is the
parents job to warn of the
danger, to discuss it, and help
protect the child from it.
A reader recently sent me a
religious tract entitled, IT Ac-
cuse My Parents!" One of the
things the parents were accused
Of was never telling me about
sex" I have seen scores Of
youngsters who could level this
accusation.
at Wasn't Nice"
At a home tor unwed mothers
IN New York, one girl said. MY
mother never told me about sex.
She said it wasn't nice to talk
about"
A boy in a homosexuality
ease in New York Magistrates
Court said. MY dad let me find
out for myself"
When a number Of boys and
girls were involved in a sex
delinquency ring in a small town
in Illinois, the mother Of one
girl said. "You certainly can't
blame this on me. Sex was never
discussed in our home!"
This is one source Of the
trouble. We have learned through
bitter experience that the silent
treatment just doesn't work.
To-day all our major religions
agree-and our doctors and
psychologists as well-that it is
not only the parents preroga-
tive but it is their vital duty to
tell their children about life
And this means the complete.
true story of the male-female
relationship.
The notion that children can
be protected by ignorance is
archaic today. when teen-agers
are no longer cosseted beneath
the family wing until they get
married. They go out into a
world where challenging and
sometimes dangerous expert
ences await them. Better to
have them armed with knowl-
edge than vulnerably ignorant.
How to Tell Them
Let's assume most parents
want to do right by their
youngsters; they want to tell
them about life. How shall they
60 about 1t?
There are two fundamentals:
/. Tell the truth. Youngsters
should not be given fables or
half-truths. These will only
boomerang later on when the
child learns about sex from other
youngsters. Most children are
exposed at one time or other to
varieties Of gutter information
on the subject, and the whole
truth told to them by their
parents Is their strongest armor.
A Catholic handbook for girls
points out: THE truth about
sex-that is. Gods idea Of sex
Is not something to be told you
in an emotional whisper sex
is neither startling nor disgust
ing; 1t is perfectly simple be-
cause God made it. 1t only
becomes complicated and repel-
lent when men and women take
1t out of its setting in Gods
plan"
From the time of the child's
first sex questions CASUALLY at
age 3 or A. truthful answers
should be given. This does not
mean that parents must explain
TO young children the entire
story of life when the first CROP
ing question is asked. Simply
give the child the information
he wants and he will ask for
more when he Is ready. For
example:
Question - Where do babies
come from2 Answer - Babies
come from their mothers bodies.
All babies are inside their
mothers bodies before they are