![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
I did a bad bad thing.
May. 18th, 2002 06:59 pmI think I might have done a bad thing.
I'm not sure...because I was in fact, doing my job. But I'm not sure it was my place to be explaing what anal sex means to a nine year old.
Here's the situation...
We work closely with the Girl Power program, especially in Fairfax County, and in the schools.Today, was the anual Girl Power conference in this area. I presented our "Face to Face" program, which is an HIV 101 presentation, and an HIV positive speaker telling his or her story. Sometimes two speakers, depending on time allotted, and the program and such. But part of the program, which is approved by the school district includes explaining what oral, anal and vaginal sex are. There were nine year olds in my presentation today. And while I'm not questioning whether or not they should have the information, I wonder if I'm the right person to give them this information. I had no control over who was in the group-it was open to all the girls who attended the conference...and I've had girls that age in my program before. But am I really the place they should be hearing this the first time? Who am I to judge their maturity, their readiness to know this?
And in this same group, I also got asked how two men have sex with each other. I managed to deflect that one to the end, and we did run out of time. I just didn't think that was one that I should take a chance on answering, especially since we've had some issues lately about information being repeated out of context...this could quite easily fall in with that stuff.
The longer I work at this, and the younger the kids I work with, the more I wonder if I'm the right person to tell them these things. Not if they should or shouldn't know them...but there's such a range of maturity levels, of when they're ready to hear this...can I really tell them, and do right by it? It's so hard when you have such a wide range of maturity levels, of readiness, of emotions.
I know I didn't do anything I believe is wrong outright. I just don't know that I'm the best person to be telling some of these kids this stuff. Some things kids should hear from people who really know them. And something feeling like innocence lost; like kids should be able to wait a while longer before they hear some of this, maybe?
I don't know. I think I'm doing the right thing...but I worry about it sometimes.
I'm not sure...because I was in fact, doing my job. But I'm not sure it was my place to be explaing what anal sex means to a nine year old.
Here's the situation...
We work closely with the Girl Power program, especially in Fairfax County, and in the schools.Today, was the anual Girl Power conference in this area. I presented our "Face to Face" program, which is an HIV 101 presentation, and an HIV positive speaker telling his or her story. Sometimes two speakers, depending on time allotted, and the program and such. But part of the program, which is approved by the school district includes explaining what oral, anal and vaginal sex are. There were nine year olds in my presentation today. And while I'm not questioning whether or not they should have the information, I wonder if I'm the right person to give them this information. I had no control over who was in the group-it was open to all the girls who attended the conference...and I've had girls that age in my program before. But am I really the place they should be hearing this the first time? Who am I to judge their maturity, their readiness to know this?
And in this same group, I also got asked how two men have sex with each other. I managed to deflect that one to the end, and we did run out of time. I just didn't think that was one that I should take a chance on answering, especially since we've had some issues lately about information being repeated out of context...this could quite easily fall in with that stuff.
The longer I work at this, and the younger the kids I work with, the more I wonder if I'm the right person to tell them these things. Not if they should or shouldn't know them...but there's such a range of maturity levels, of when they're ready to hear this...can I really tell them, and do right by it? It's so hard when you have such a wide range of maturity levels, of readiness, of emotions.
I know I didn't do anything I believe is wrong outright. I just don't know that I'm the best person to be telling some of these kids this stuff. Some things kids should hear from people who really know them. And something feeling like innocence lost; like kids should be able to wait a while longer before they hear some of this, maybe?
I don't know. I think I'm doing the right thing...but I worry about it sometimes.
