Set in the early eighties, Freaks and Geeks explores
the sex and relationship developments of two Michigan siblings, 12th
grader Lindsay and 9th grader Sam. While Lindsay tries to
shake her “mathlete” status by hanging out with a group of weed-smoking teens
who have little direction in life, her younger brother Sam spends his free time
with his two best friends (Neal and Bill), reading science fiction comics and
trying to appear cool to girls.
In the fifth episode, Sam sits in his first sex education
class with a look of confusion as a classmate tells a joke about a quadruple
amputee man ringing a doorbell. Embarrassed by their lack of
understanding, Sam and his friends try to learn as much as possible about
sex. They talk to a wise and trusted classmate and flip through anatomy
textbooks, but ultimately find themselves watching a sex movie on a
reel-to-reel projector in Neal’s basement. The film, given to them by one
of Lindsay’s new friends, Daniel, leaves Sam horror-struck and disgusted.
At dinner, he is unable to eat. He spends the next couple of days walking
in a haze, blinded by unimagined sights.
Unfortunately, there’s no way to predict when a child will
first learn about sex or how they will react to the news. Even if a
parent plans to talk with their child, their son or daughter will likely
hear pieces of the story sooner than expected. Can parents prevent the
denial or astonishment that my fourth grade friend and Sam Weir
experienced? Probably not, but parents can help ease the learning curve
by listening and talking with their children well before puberty.
Layering conversations about sensitive topics during childhood will build
parents as a resource for accurate sex and relationship information when the
time arrives. While peer groups do influence children as they get older,
parents must remain in the game.
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