PROJECTS & CREDITS




“PBS show on sex education for kids is explicit, excellent”
By Phil Kloer, The Atlanta Journal and Constitution

Talking to one's children about sex is a secret dread of many parents. No matter how at ease you are with your own sexuality, what used to be called the "birds and bees" talk is an implicit admission that your child is, or will soon be, a sexual person.

Educational children's television is increasingly putting a more public face on this once-private matter. These days, Linda Ellerbee is rolling a condom over her fingers on Nickelodeon, and Children's Television Workshop, the PBS affiliated group that created "Sesame Street," is talking about masturbation.

That's one of many topics addressed in "What Kids Want to Know," the most explicit and the best TV program on sex education ever made.

But before we get to what kids want to know, here's what parents need to know. Channel 8 is airing it at 11 p.m. tonight so parents can tape it. Watch it without your child or children, and decide if this level of detail is appropriate. If it is, watch it with your child, either on tape or when it runs again Wednesday.

Just as puberty occurs at different ages, it's impossible to say whether this show is appropriate for all 10-year-olds. But very roughly, it's aimed at children ages 8-14, preferably those who already have some working knowledge of the mechanics of sex although it can be used as a starting point.

There are no euphemisms here. "What Kids Want to Know" is extremely direct, using simple anatomical drawings to explain intercourse, puberty and the reproductive systems of both genders.

In addition, sex educators Robert Selverstone and Rhonda Wise answer questions from a group of children. They are extremely low key and unflappable, and their message over and over is that the changes of puberty can be a little scary, but that we all go through it, and it's OK.

The questions and answers address the real concerns of the age group, rather than what adults might think kids want to know. One boy asks about "penis extenders" he has seen advertised in the back of a men's magazine; another worries about getting an erection in public. Girls are concerned about breast size and saying no to forceful boys.

No sex education can be value free, and "What Kids Want to Know" tries very hard to be both non-judgmental and responsible. Masturbation, Dr. Selverstone tells the youngsters, will not physically harm you, but "every family has different beliefs about what's appropriate."

There is no preaching against premarital sex, but they emphasize sex is an activity for adults who care about one another, and that "just because we have sexual urges doesn't mean we have to act on them."

Parents can also order an accompanying 24-page booklet for $2.25 by writing to: Parents Guide, Box 40, Vernon, N.J. 07462. In addition, a home video edition, including the booklet, will be available in about two weeks for $14.95. It can be ordered by calling 800-477-4289.