Don't let children finish puberty and then learn about sex years later.

Teaching children about sex and how to protect themselves are always issues that many Vietnamese people feel embarrassed about.

Adults are always busy drawing paths for deer to run, so why not draw the right path for the deer to run? - Photo: NEWS

Is it time for us adults to remove that psychological barrier? Because "drawing a path for the deer to run correctly" is a good thing to do!

"Outdated" textbooks, adults should answer children's questions

In the current curriculum, it is not until grade 8 in Biology that students are exposed to and learn about puberty and the changes in the male and female bodies.

But now, due to the trend of early puberty, many female students show signs of puberty in grades 4-5, while male students show signs later in grades 6-7. The sudden change will create psychological "shocks" for the students themselves.

It is paradoxical that the signs of puberty are already there but we have to wait several years to find out. Therefore, the closest and most practical source of information is to seek help from parents and teachers.

Usually, boys can ask their father or teacher, girls can confide in their mother or teacher. Gender empathy will help them share more easily and receive more accurate advice from adults.

It is parents who must overcome shyness and hesitation, not children, in matters related to gender.

Instead of using common words, parents can use medical terms to avoid embarrassment when speaking in front of their children.

There are even many fathers who do not avoid when their sons ask about condoms: why do men have to wear them, what should they pay attention to when wearing condoms...

Need school psychologists

Psychologist Dr. Le Thi Linh Trang instructs primary school students on skills to prevent child abuse - Photo: LE THANH TRUNG

If parents are reluctant, there is the school. The need for school counselors has been mentioned many times, but very few schools implement this.

Partly because it is difficult to arrange teaching hours for teachers who also do consulting work, partly because it is difficult to recruit teachers who are properly trained in this field.

The point that needs to be mentioned is that even in the most recently published general education program, there is no mention of school psychological counseling.

Organized into extracurricular activities or included in the Biology curriculum. If so, which grade should this sex education be included in to suit the current age group?

That is also a common question of those who are in charge of counseling at school.

A school's school psychology counseling page - Photo: D.B.

In reality, some schools in cities like Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City... are doing quite well in providing psychological counseling right in school, including models such as: sending handwritten letters, sending emails, exchanging via Facebook groups or direct counseling on-site.

For this age group, they often choose to communicate indirectly via email or most commonly social media. As long as they feel comfortable, any form of counseling will achieve certain results.

According to TTO