Ah, but many people laugh themselves silly over toilet jokes, and this is even more prevalent in the UK than the US.

jokul:

I was pleaed with your respone because you and I hardly ever agree on anything.

Helice:
I remember kindergarden when I had to go into assembely as a Christian, the asians stayed outside untill assembely had finished.The asians had an opt out,and when I go to my daughters school I will be asking for my opt out as a parent,it's as simple as that.I am looking forward to meeting teachers with same mind set as yours Helice.

Jack and Myrddin what's wrong with Satanist is it the spelling you have a problem with? All thinking and aware people know what they are upto the Satanist I mean, they want to teach the kids about all kind of realationships,code for teaching kids about "men who like a spot of naked sword fighting".

Labeling them Satanists is exaggeration, and paranoia.

I agree with other posters here, I doubt they will be teaching detailed sexual descriptions. It is most likely to be a sexual safety and hygiene course. You should ask for the exact details of what will be taught before jumping to conclusions. I am sure you can opt out of this "sex education", but your child will most likely be exposed to misinformation from her peers if you do not teach her something about the subject in the next few years.

Myriddin:

It's a free country and you think what you want.If and when I meet my daughters teachers if they come out with same kind of clap trap that you and others have come out with,then that teacher is going to be in trouble.

Myrddin again:

Dont you worry about what my daughters peers may or may not tell her,my grammer may not be up to much but I am an expert in sex,my daughter will get all the sex education she needs from me not from teachers who have questionable morals.

And her sex education will consist of you making sure she "just says no" until she's about 32. That's your right as a parent, but I do think it would help a child to learn about inappropriate touching, when to tell a grownup if someone is making the child uncomfortable, how to avoid cons like "help me find my lost puppy" and so on.

Not that you are incapable of teaching it, I just think that in a peer setting there is a reinforcement that helps the child learn.

I would certainly be against children learning the biology and mechanics of sex at that age, I think 4 is a bit young.

Even here in Australia it is proposed we teach sex to four years old. Before the minimum age was five although most parents prefer it be ten.

Almost everyone enjoys sex, goes out of their way to get it, brags about it, wants to get more of it, finds it extremely pleasurable, and wants to keep it from their children as long as possible.

Fear of sex is what drives so much of the religious puritanism in America and the world. When you (not necessarily you personally) were a kid you couldn't wait to find out about sex and you wanted to get some of that, and you and your friends talked of little else, so naturally, you want to keep it from your own kids.

Nice.

I'm rather surprised here. After all this stuff I've heard, and heard it here I'll add, about how Brits, Europeans and pretty much everyone else in the world except Muslims is so much more in tune with sexuality and not so up tight and Puritan towards sex and the human body as we prudish Americans are, here we have all this huff about sex education, in those other countries. Well, I'll be.

Here in the US, where we are either in prudish denial of our body parts or complete denizens of debauchery, depending on what slant the poster wants to make that day, I was offered sex ed in Jr High, 7th grade. Our parents were given the option for us not to take the course. The course was only a portion of one 9 week quarter of the school year. Later, somewhere between 9th and 11th grade, we had a similar opportunity. In Jr High, I remember only 1 kid who was opted out. We made a few jokes about don't worry, Janet will teach you all you need to know behind the bleachers, but really, we didn't give him much grief about it.

Compulsory schooling for us goes from 1st grade to 12th grade. The age range of school kids goes from about 4 to 6 years old to 17 or 19 years old. There is pre-school, pre-K, Kindergarten, summer courses and pre-college type courses and ways to opt out, but that's not important to this discussion.

In our sex ed courses we were taught about body parts; their looks, uses and development, reproduction, sexually transmitted diseases and birth control. There was giggling and joking. What I liked is that our teachers allowed us to get that out of our systems and use our sophomoric humor as a teaching aid. The classes were laid back enough for us to cope with the seriousness of the matter. We even touched on alternative sexuality like homosexuality, bi-sexuality, transvestites and of course, we all had questions about hermaphrodites and other weird stuff. Kids will be kids.

As for teaching a sex ed course to 4 year olds, I too want to know what is going to be taught. As a parent, Cass has has that right to know. If this class is going to be about personal hygiene and how to handle ones self in situations where they feel inappropriate; being touched on parts covered by a bathing suit, well, that's not... too bad. However, I do believe that parents should be responsible for that type of teaching with children this young. If somehow it comes to light that little Johnny can't wipe his butt, then that should be brought up between the school and the parent and be dealt with case by case.

America is not a Puritan country, but in public it pretends to be. The talking heads are always SO shocked at the misbehavior of this or that celebrity. In court you hear the DA going on about the SHOCKING SHOCKING sex crimes the defendant committed, etc.

Sexually America is a nation of hypocrites, or a nation divided between those who enjoy hedonistic pleasures and those who think the sight of a penis will forever corrupt their 16 year old daughter.

Anyone who takes a reasonable overview of the situation can't help but understand the double standard prevalent in this country as far as sex is concerned.

And, without much further ado, I spot the perfect place to announce the latest change in my life:

I'm moving to the UK to take a posting as a teacher

I arrive in the UK next week :P