It cannot be denied that many children have too much spending money, and that others show too great a desire to have it.

It is also a well-known fact that many children are not content to do normal tasks at home when they are able to obtain good pocket money by doing odd jobs for others.

The starting wage for adolescents is often somewhat high, and thrift is not practised by them.  A few years hence, these adolescents may be in the ranks of those who complain of their inability to obtain homes.  This has prompted people to urge that a compulsory savings scheme should be instituted to guard young people from the evils of misspent leisure and to develop in them that sense of reliability which is so often lacking.

There is certainly something wrong when mothers work to increase the income of the household while youths, who may be paid nearly as much as parents with family responsibilities, spend their earnings on expensive luxuries.

If juvenile delinquents were admitted to probation instead of being admonished or placed under supervision, it might be practicable for the Courts, in suitable cases to make it a condition of probation that the offender paid a portion of his earnings into a compulsory savings scheme.  Even if such a procedure could be devised it would apply only to those who have become delinquents when the major consideration should be given to the problem of the pre-delinquents.  This is a matter to be considered further in Section XVI of this report.

XI.  Information on Sex Matters

For many years the expression “sex instruction” has been used and understood by most people.  The Committee makes clear its appreciation of the fact that the term is inadequate as not indicating that the sexual relations of man and woman should be a harmonious blend of the physical and the spiritual.  Many parents of children will agree that they themselves obtained only a knowledge of the mechanical aspects of sex from school companions.  Even this information was often gleaned from undesirable conversations.  Such parents wish that their children should receive this knowledge in a totally different fashion.

The terms “sex instruction” and “sex knowledge” are employed here for other terms are not yet in common usage.

In some of the cases investigated by the police the children concerned appear to have been very ignorant of the rudimentary facts of the subject.  In other cases they showed knowledge far in advance of what would be expected.  This advanced knowledge was, however, only in respect of isolated portions of the subject.

The striking contrast between ignorant and precocious children confirms the view that a statement is required as to when the information should be given, who should give it, and what should be its source.

=(1) When Should This Information be Given?=

The best time to give any information is when a child asks a question.  The simple answer giving no more than is necessary is the desirable one.  The question “Mummy, where do babies come from”? should not involve a dissertation on sex.  If this method of approach is clearly understood, the parent need never be worried about the time to impart information.