I probably could be accused of being the kind of mom who over shares, but it's never bothered me that other parents might disagree. Let's get to one point right away—if your kid knows my kid, and there are certainly things you don't want your kid to know for various reasons, you may not want my kid to know your kid. Just warning you.
My kid knows stuff, and he's known certain stuff at a very young age. I made a decision early on, recognizing that my kid might be a little different than other kids and since I was a kid myself—long ago—I can't be at every conversation that takes place in every corner of school with his peers.
My philosophy is there's no such thing as too much information. Science, combined with age-appropriate information, remains what I use for those car conversations I've told you about. It really is the perfect place to talk—the kid is strapped in the car and the ride home or during errands is long. I have about an hour, and I've become skilled at getting everything in, from sex ed stuff to alcohol and high school parties.
Perhaps it's because of these conversations it made it easy for the kid to chime in recently about abstinence-only education policies in Tucson and how that changes sex education curriculum in the state's districts. He's against it, by the way.
Arizona doesn't have a law to require schools teach about sexuality or STD's. But if your child's school wants to teach those topics, then they are required to also stress abstinence.
To me, the car convos fill in the gaps and I recognize not every parent is having them or wants to have them or wants their children to know as much as my kid. However, I can't imagine why you wouldn't want to your children to go out into the world knowing about their bodies? I'm not sure how I can do the bananas and condom lesson in the car, but damn if that one is not around the corner.
— Mari Herreras, mherreras@tucsonweekly.com