Some of the boys of Lipsey Middle School learned about their changing bodies from a special instructor recently during the Junior Auxiliary’s annual Boy Talk session. 

Boy Talk is part of a two-part initiative sponsored by the Junior Auxiliary of Brookhaven. Boy Talk and Girl Talk are held separately and led by two physicians. Obstetrician/Gynecologist Dr. Leigh Cher Gray led Girl Talk Friday morning. Pediatrician Dr. Michael Shann led Friday’s Boy Talk.

“As JA we constantly seek out issues that arise in the country and state,” Juliana Adams, JA member, said.

She said Mississippi’s status as one of the leading states for teen pregnancy is what prompted JA to start some type of educational program for students in the fifth and sixth grade. The program they started features doctors mentoring the kids on pregnancy, childbirth, sexually transmitted diseases, health and wellness.

Adams said this is the second year they’ve done the program. The first year they visited every school in Lincoln County, but this year they were only able to visit Lipsey. Adams said that they plan to make the program available to all schools again next year.

“It’s received very well,” Adams said.

Students who participate have to get signed permission from their parents before attending the sessions. She said sometimes the parents don’t feel comfortable or well-versed enough to talk to their children about such issues.

In Friday’s Boy Talk session at Lipsey, Shann covered many things including what to expect during puberty, the earliest and latest age the average male starts puberty and how long puberty usually lasts. He also spoke about the dangers of playful hitting around the chest and groin areas, which can lead to immediate pain and more long-term effects.

A major part of the session focused on sexually transmitted diseases: which ones are more prevalent in certain age ranges, how they are contracted and spread and how to protect oneself from getting an STD.

Shann also spoke on pregnancy, how it happens and discussed the earliest ages pregnancy can happen. At the end of his presentation, Shann opened the floor for questions and was met with many. Shann also asked the children questions, testing their knowledge from last year’s talk, which a majority of them attended.

“If you start them at an early age knowing the consequences of certain actions, hopefully, you can deter those certain actions,” Adams said.

She said the mission of the talks is to try to give children the education they might not be getting otherwise.