Dear Parents,
During the first four years, the
formation program in chastity was presented almost exclusively by the parents.
The teaching points that were provided to you accomplished this. As the young
people reach the middle school years, there are some elements of formation that
will be covered in the school or parish catechetical programs. However, the
parents will give the intimate and very personal information. Since each child
differs in their needs and personal rate of development, the information needed
by one child is often very different from others. There are three things that
we are providing for you at this time. One is an overview of the moral and
spiritual formation topics that will be covered in your child's class. The
second section deals with social aspects of development and chaste living, also
classroom topics. The parents are encouraged to review these first two sections
with their children, in addition to their classroom presentations. The third
section is a summary of the key details of personal developmental information.
You, as the parent, judge when and how much information on human development
you want to provide for your child. This summary will be repeated each year for
your reference. There are also additional references that may be helpful to you
in making these presentations to your child. These are listed at the end of the
section on human development.
I. Moral / Spiritual Component - How we know
the truth.
II. Social Component - How we live out the
truth.
·
Each
person has inherent dignity. Every baptized person is an adopted son or
daughter of God.
·
Because
of the dignity that God gave us, we are to respect others and ourselves in
thought, word, and deed.
·
The
first and most important way in which we demonstrate respect for ourselves, and
others, is by upholding the right to life.
III. Human Development and Maturity
As your child matures, it is your
privilege and responsibility to communicate the truth and meaning of human
sexuality to your child and to help him/her through the stages of development.
The relationship and trust you establish now, will
help your child to navigate his/her way from childhood, through adolescence, to
adulthood in a virtuous and successful way.
Our bodies express the truth of
who we are. God prepares boys and girls to eventually become fathers and
mothers. One of the ways that this happens is that changes occur in our bodies.
As part of God's plan, boys and girls develop at different times. The fact that a boy or girl is developing somewhat more slowly or
quickly than others their age is not necessarily a cause for alarm. You
can explain to your child the changes they begin to see in themselves and in
their classmates as they enter puberty. As you judge them ready, you can
explain more fully the biological aspects of procreation in conjunction with
the moral dimensions.
As parents, the love and support
that you give your children during this time of transition from childhood
through adolescence to adulthood will pay big dividends down the road. While
making sure to give proper supervision, it will be important for parents to
respect their child's increasing need for privacy.
People express their love
physically, as well as emotionally and spiritually. The fullest physical
expression of love takes place with the marriage of a man and a woman. The act
of intercourse (the marital act) is the sacramental expression of love between
a husband and wife, which is founded on the marriage covenant. This act is a
sign of deep love and self-giving between husband and wife and is intended by
God for two primary purposes: the generation of life (procreative end) and the
deepening of the union between husband and wife (unitive
end). Every marital act (act of intercourse between husband and wife) must be
open to these two ends. In marriage, the physical intimacy of the spouses
becomes a sign and pledge of their spiritual communion. Marriage bonds between
a baptized man and a baptized woman are sanctified by the sacrament.
An additional information sheet
on some of the basic biological information, in non technical language, is
available to parents from the school or parish catechetical office.
For further information on these
and other important questions and issues related to human growth and sexuality,
we recommend the following resources:
Aquilina, Mike - General Editor, Talking to Youth About Sexuality:
A Parents' Guide; Our
Sunday Visitor, Inc., Copyright © 1995 Roman Catholic Diocese of
Additional
Recommendations for Parents
For young people, friendships
outside the home are very important. Parents should know who their child's
friends are, and with where they spend their time. Especially note if your
child is "hanging around" with students who are several years older.
This is always a red flag for parents. Media influences are very much a part of
the cultural formation that young people receive. Monitor movies, books, and
especially computer use. Computers with Internet access should be in a
"public" area of the home under the watchful eye of parents. Children
alone on the computer can be susceptible to the activity of strangers via chat
rooms. We strongly discourage single dating for young people; that should be
put off until late in the high school years. Mixed group activities are best
for children in the middle school and early high school grades.
Safety Review - Safe
Environment Plans
Parents will receive the safety
information tips from the Center for Missing and Exploited Children. As
children grow, it is helpful to review the information provided there and apply
it to the new set of circumstances that children face in these pre-teen and
early teenage years. Take the time to go over the information with your child
and discuss the various items presented by the safety information sheet.